1
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Çon N, Mercan S, Küçüköner A, Çalişkan N. Adolescent intermittent ethanol use in male rats do not change cerebellar cell numbers but initiate astroglial reaction. Int J Dev Neurosci 2024; 84:177-189. [PMID: 38327108 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10317] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Alcohol consumption during adolescence causes negative structural changes in the cerebellum and can lead to cognitive and motor skill disorders. Unfortunately, the age at which individuals begin drinking alcohol has decreased in recent years, which has drawn attention to the effects of alcohol on neurological changes during preadolescence. In this study, we investigated the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure on the cellular composition of the cerebellum in male rats, particularly when alcohol consumption begins early. The male rats received eight doses of intermittent intraperitoneal injection of 25% (v/v) ethanol (3 g/kg) or saline from postnatal days (PND) 25 to PND 38. In rats, 28-42 days old corresponds to 10-18 years old in humans. Two hours after the last injection, the cells, neurons, and non-neuronal cells in the cerebellum were immunocytochemically labeled and the total numbers of related cells were calculated using the Isotropic Fractionator method. We found that AIE exposure does not change the cell numbers of the cerebellum in the short term, but it does activate astrocytes in the white matter of the cerebellum. These findings suggest that alcohol use during adolescence impairs the innate immune system and negatively affects brain plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nurhan Çon
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Sevcan Mercan
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Asuman Küçüköner
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey
| | - Nüket Çalişkan
- Department of Medical Services and Techniques, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey
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2
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Gore-Langton JK, Varlinskaya EI, Werner DF. Ethanol-induced conditioned taste aversion and associated neural activation in male rats: Impact of age and adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0279507. [PMID: 36548243 PMCID: PMC9778589 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals that initiate alcohol use at younger ages and binge drink during adolescence are more susceptible to developing alcohol use disorder. Adolescents are relatively insensitive to the aversive effects of alcohol and tend to consume significantly more alcohol per occasion than adults, an effect that is conserved in rodent models. Adolescent typical insensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol may promote greater alcohol intake by attenuating internal cues that curb its consumption. Attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol is also retained into adulthood following protracted abstinence from adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. Despite these effects, much remains unknown regarding the neural contributors. In the present study, we used a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm to investigate neuronal activation in late-developing forebrain structures of male adolescents and adult cFos-LacZ transgenic rats as well as in AIE adults following consumption of 0.9% sodium chloride previously paired with an intraperitoneal injection of 0, 1.5 or 2.5 g/kg of ethanol. Adults that were non-manipulated or received water exposure during adolescence showed CTA to both ethanol doses, whereas adolescents displayed CTA only to the 2.5 g/kg ethanol dose. Adults who experienced AIE did not show CTA. Adults displayed increased neuronal activation indexed via number of β-galactosidase positive (β-gal+) cells in the prefrontal and insular cortex that was absent in adolescents, whereas adolescents but not adults had a reduced number of β-gal+ cells in the central amygdala. Adults also displayed greater cortical-insular functional connectivity than adolescents as well as insular-amygdalar and prefrontal cortex-accumbens core functional connectivity. Like adolescents, adults previously exposed to AIE displayed reduced prefrontal-insular cortex and prefrontal-accumbal core functional connectivity. Taken together, these results suggest that attenuated sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol is related to a loss of an insular-prefrontal cortex-accumbens core circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan K. Gore-Langton
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - Elena I. Varlinskaya
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
| | - David F. Werner
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton, New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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3
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Chronic Intermittent Ethanol Administration during Adolescence Produces Sex Dependent Impairments in Behavioral Flexibility and Survivability. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050606. [PMID: 35624993 PMCID: PMC9139058 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence produces behavioral impairments and neurobiological changes that can last into young adulthood. One such behavioral impairment is reduced behavioral flexibility, a behavioral impairment that has been correlated with the risk for increased ethanol intake. In the current study, we investigated if chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence alters cognition, including behavioral flexibility, over a 22-month testing period. Female and male rats were treated with either 3.0 g/kg or 5.0 g/kg ethanol via gavage in a chronic intermittent fashion during adolescence and then tested every 4 to 5 months on a series of cognitive measures in the Morris water maze. Chronic intermittent ethanol selectively impaired behavioral flexibility in both female and male rats, although the pattern of results was different as a function of sex. In addition, female, but not male, rats were impaired in a short-term relearning test. Finally, male rats administered ethanol during adolescence were significantly more likely to not survive the 22-month experiment compared to female rats administered ethanol during adolescence. The current results demonstrate that adolescence is a unique period of development where chronic intermittent ethanol exposure produces long-lasting, selective cognitive impairments across the lifespan.
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4
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Buján GE, D'Alessio L, Serra HA, Molina SJ, Guelman LR. Behavioral alterations induced by intermittent ethanol intake and noise exposure in adolescent rats. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:1756-1773. [PMID: 35342999 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol intake and exposure to noise are common activities of human adolescents performed in entertainment contexts worldwide that can induce behavioral disturbances. Therefore, the aim of the present work was to investigate in an experimental model of adolescent animals whether noise exposure and intermittent ethanol intake, when present individually or sequentially, might be able to modify different behaviors. Adolescent Wistar rats of both sexes were subjected to voluntary intermittent ethanol intake for 1 week followed by exposure to noise for 2 h and tested in a battery of behavioral tasks. Data show that males exposed to noise experienced a deficit in associative memory (AM), increase in anxiety-like behaviors (ALB) and altered reaction to novelty (RN) when compared with sham animals, whereas females also showed an increase in risk assessment behaviors (RAB) and a decrease in exploratory activity (EA). In contrast, ethanol intake induced an increase in RAB and RN in males and females, whereas females also showed a deficit in AM and EA as well as an increase in ALB. When ethanol was ingested before noise exposure, most parameters were counteracted both in male and females, but differed among sexes. In consequence, it could be hypothesized that an environmental acute stressor like noise might trigger a behavioral counteracting induced by a previous repeated exposure to a chemical agent such as ethanol, leading to a compensation of a non-adaptive behavior and reaching a better adjustment to the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Ezequiel Buján
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Luciana D'Alessio
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Universidad de Buenos Aires. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencias (IBCN, UBA-CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Héctor Alejandro Serra
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sonia Jazmín Molina
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO, UBA-CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Laura Ruth Guelman
- Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Universidad de Buenos Aires. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO, UBA-CONICET). Facultad de Medicina, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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5
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Healey KL, Kibble SA, Bell A, Kramer G, Maldonado-Devincci A, Swartzwelder HS. Sex differences in the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on exploratory and anxiety-like behavior in adult rats. Alcohol 2022; 98:43-50. [PMID: 34808302 PMCID: PMC8714675 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rodents has been shown to alter adult behavior in several domains, including learning and memory, social interaction, affective behavior, and ethanol self-administration. AIE has also been shown to produce non-specific behavioral changes that compromise behavioral efficiency. Many studies of these types rely on measuring behavior in mazes and other enclosures that can be influenced by animals' activity levels and exploratory behavior, and relatively few such studies have assessed sex as a biological variable. To address the effects of AIE and its interaction with sex on these types of behavioral assays, male and female adolescent rats (Sprague Dawley) were exposed to 10 doses of AIE (5 g/kg, intra-gastrically [i.g.]), or control vehicle, over 16 days (postnatal day [PND] 30-46), and then tested for exploratory and anxiety-like behaviors on the novelty-induced hypophagia (NIH) task in an open field, the elevated plus (EPM) maze, and the Figure 8 maze. AIE reduced activity/exploratory behaviors in males on the anxiety-producing NIH and EPM tasks, but reduced activity in both males and females in the Figure 8 maze, a task designed to create a safe environment and reduce anxiety. Independent of AIE, females engaged in more rearing behavior than males during the NIH task but less in the EPM, in which they were also less active than males. AIE also increased EPM open arm time in females but not in males. These findings demonstrate previously unrecognized sex differences in the effects of AIE on activity, exploratory behavior, and anxiety-like behavior; additionally, they underscore the need to design future behavioral studies of AIE using sex as a variable and with rigorous attention to how AIE alters these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Sandra A Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - George Kramer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States
| | - Antoniette Maldonado-Devincci
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, United States
| | - H S Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, 323 Foster St., Durham, NC 27701, United States.
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6
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Doremus-Fitzwater TL, Deak T. Adolescent neuroimmune function and its interaction with alcohol. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 161:167-208. [PMID: 34801169 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved developmental period associated with behavioral change, including increased risk-taking and alcohol use. Experimentation with alcohol typically begins in adolescence and transitions to binge-like patterns of consumption. Alcohol exposure during adolescence can alter normative changes in brain structure and function. Understanding mechanisms by which ethanol impacts neurodevelopmental processes is important for preventing and ameliorating the deleterious consequences of adolescent alcohol abuse. This review focuses on the neuroimmune system as a key contributor to ethanol-induced changes in adolescent brain and behavior. After brief review of neuroimmune system development, acute and chronic effects of ethanol on adolescent neuroimmune functioning are addressed. Comparisons between stress/immunological challenges and ethanol on adolescent neuroimmunity are reviewed, as cross-sensitization is relevant during adolescence. The mechanisms by which ethanol alters neuroimmune functioning are then discussed, as they may portend development of neuropathological consequences and thus increase vulnerability to subsequent challenges and potentiate addictive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- T L Doremus-Fitzwater
- Department of Psychology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY, United States; Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton, NY, United States.
| | - T Deak
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton, NY, United States; Binghamton University-SUNY, Binghamton, NY, United States
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7
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Matthews DB, Imhoff BM. Age modifies the effect of ethanol on behavior: Investigations in adolescent, adult and aged rats. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 161:251-275. [PMID: 34801171 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The number of older people is increasing in most if not all countries in the world. In addition, the amount of alcohol consumption in the aged population is increasing and the consumption pattern is often in a binge fashion. However, little is known if the effects of alcohol, either acute or chronic exposure, vary in the older population compared to younger populations. The current mini-review will provide an overview of the effects of acute and chronic ethanol exposure at three different periods of development: adolescent, adult and aged on multiple different commonly studied behaviors. The overall conclusion is that biological age of the subject is a critical factor in understanding the effects of ethanol across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- D B Matthews
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States.
| | - B M Imhoff
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
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8
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Holmgren EB, Wills TA. Regulation of glutamate signaling in the extended amygdala by adolescent alcohol exposure. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:223-250. [PMID: 34696874 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical period for brain development and behavioral maturation, marked by increased risk-taking behavior and the initiation of drug use. There are significant changes in gray matter volume and pruning of synapses along with a shift in excitatory to inhibitory balance which marks the maturation of cognition and decision-making. Because of ongoing brain development, adolescents are particularly sensitive to the detrimental effects of drugs, including alcohol, which can cause long-lasting consequences into adulthood. The extended amygdala is a region critically implicated in withdrawal and negative affect such as anxiety and depression. As negative affective disorders develop during adolescence, the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on extended amygdala circuitry needs further inquiry. Here we aim to provide a framework to discuss the existing literature on the extended amygdala, the neuroadaptations which result from alcohol use, and the intersection of factors which contribute to the long-lasting effects of this exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- E B Holmgren
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - T A Wills
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States; Neuroscience Center of Excellence, LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, United States.
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9
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Coleman LG, Crews FT, Vetreno RP. The persistent impact of adolescent binge alcohol on adult brain structural, cellular, and behavioral pathology: A role for the neuroimmune system and epigenetics. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:1-44. [PMID: 34696871 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a critical neurodevelopmental window for maturation of brain structure, neurocircuitry, and glia. This development is sculpted by an individual's unique experiences and genetic background to establish adult level cognitive function and behavioral makeup. Alcohol abuse during adolescence is associated with an increased lifetime risk for developing an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Adolescents participate in heavy, episodic binge drinking that causes persistent changes in neurocircuitry and behavior. These changes may underlie the increased risk for AUD and might also promote cognitive deficits later in life. In this chapter, we have examined research on the persistent effects of adolescent binge-drinking both in humans and in rodent models. These studies implicate roles for neuroimmune signaling as well as epigenetic reprogramming of neurons and glia, which create a vulnerable neuroenvironment. Some of these changes are reversible, giving hope for future treatments to prevent many of the long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon G Coleman
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
| | - Fulton T Crews
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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10
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Shin SK, Kaiser EE, West FD. Alcohol Induced Brain and Liver Damage: Advantages of a Porcine Alcohol Use Disorder Model. Front Physiol 2021; 11:592950. [PMID: 33488396 PMCID: PMC7818780 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.592950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol is one of the most commonly abused intoxicants with 1 in 6 adults at risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the United States. As such, animal models have been extensively investigated with rodent AUD models being the most widely studied. However, inherent anatomical and physiological differences between rodents and humans pose a number of limitations in studying the complex nature of human AUD. For example, rodents differ from humans in that rodents metabolize alcohol rapidly and do not innately demonstrate voluntary alcohol consumption. Comparatively, pigs exhibit similar patterns observed in human AUD including voluntary alcohol consumption and intoxication behaviors, which are instrumental in establishing a more representative AUD model that could in turn delineate the risk factors involved in the development of this disorder. Pigs and humans also share anatomical similarities in the two major target organs of alcohol- the brain and liver. Pigs possess gyrencephalic brains with comparable cerebral white matter volumes to humans, thus enabling more representative evaluations of susceptibility and neural tissue damage in response to AUD. Furthermore, similarities in the liver result in a comparable rate of alcohol elimination as humans, thus enabling a more accurate extrapolation of dosage and intoxication level to humans. A porcine model of AUD possesses great translational potential that can significantly advance our current understanding of the complex development and continuance of AUD in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo K Shin
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Erin E Kaiser
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Neuroscience Program, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
| | - Franklin D West
- Regenerative Bioscience Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Department of Animal and Dairy Science, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States.,Neuroscience Program, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, United States
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11
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Avchalumov Y, Oliver RJ, Trenet W, Heyer Osorno RE, Sibley BD, Purohit DC, Contet C, Roberto M, Woodward JJ, Mandyam CD. Chronic ethanol exposure differentially alters neuronal function in the medial prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus. Neuropharmacology 2020; 185:108438. [PMID: 33333103 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Alterations in the function of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus have been implicated in underlying the relapse to alcohol seeking behaviors in humans and animal models of moderate to severe alcohol use disorders (AUD). Here we used chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure (CIE), 21d protracted abstinence following CIE (21d AB), and re-exposure to one vapor session during protracted abstinence (re-exposure) to evaluate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on basal synaptic function, neuronal excitability and expression of key synaptic proteins that play a role in neuronal excitability in the medial PFC (mPFC) and dentate gyrus (DG). CIE consistently enhanced excitability of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons in the mPFC and granule cell neurons in the DG. In the DG, this effect persisted during 21d AB. Re-exposure did not enhance excitability, suggesting resistance to vapor-induced effects. Analysis of action potential kinetics revealed that altered afterhyperpolarization, rise time and decay time constants are associated with the altered excitability during CIE, 21d AB and re-exposure. Molecular adaptations that may underlie increases in neuronal excitability under these different conditions were identified. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction of large-conductance potassium (BK) channel subunit mRNA in PFC and DG tissue homogenates did not show altered expression patterns of BK subunits. Western blotting demonstrates enhanced phosphorylation of Ca2⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and reduced phosphorylation of glutamate receptor GluN2A/2B subunits. These results suggest a novel relationship between activity of CaMKII and GluN receptors in the mPFC and DG, and neuronal excitability in these brain regions in the context of moderate to severe AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Wulfran Trenet
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA
| | | | | | | | - Candice Contet
- Departments of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Marisa Roberto
- Departments of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - John J Woodward
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Addiction Sciences Division, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Chitra D Mandyam
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA; Departments of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience, Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA; Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92161, USA.
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12
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Glover EJ, Khan F, Clayton-Stiglbauer K, Chandler LJ. Impact of sex, strain, and age on blood ethanol concentration and behavioral signs of intoxication during ethanol vapor exposure. Neuropharmacology 2020; 184:108393. [PMID: 33221480 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2020.108393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of alcohol drinking and dependence are a critical resource for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms and development of more effective treatments for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Because most rat strains do not voluntarily consume large enough quantities of alcohol to adequately model heavy drinking, dependence, and withdrawal-related symptoms, researchers frequently turn to experimenter administered methods to investigate how prolonged and repeated exposure to large quantities of alcohol impacts brain and behavior. Vaporized ethanol is a common method used for chronically subjecting rodents to alcohol and has been widely used to model both binge and dependence-inducing heavy drinking patterns observed in humans. Rodent strain, sex, and age during exposure are all well-known to influence outcomes in experiments utilizing intraperitoneal or intragastric methods of repeated ethanol exposure. Yet, despite its frequent use, the impact of these variables on outcomes associated with ethanol vapor exposure has not been widely investigated. The present study analyzed data generated from over 700 rats across an eight-year period to provide a population-level assessment of variables influencing level of intoxication using vapor exposure. Our findings reveal important differences with respect to strain, sex, and age during ethanol exposure in the relationship between blood ethanol concentration and behavioral signs of intoxication. These data provide valuable scientific and practical insight for laboratories utilizing ethanol vapor exposure paradigms to model AUD in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J Glover
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, USA.
| | - Fauzan Khan
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
| | - Kacey Clayton-Stiglbauer
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Drug & Alcohol Programs, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
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13
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Lees B, Meredith LR, Kirkland AE, Bryant BE, Squeglia LM. Effect of alcohol use on the adolescent brain and behavior. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2020; 192:172906. [PMID: 32179028 PMCID: PMC7183385 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable neurodevelopmental period marked by high rates of engagement with risky alcohol use. This review summarizes the cognitive and neural consequences following alcohol use during adolescence from longitudinal design studies in humans and animals. Findings from human adolescent studies suggest that binge drinking and heavy alcohol use is associated with poorer cognitive functioning on a broad range of neuropsychological assessments, including learning, memory, visuospatial functioning, psychomotor speed, attention, executive functioning, and impulsivity. Alcohol use during adolescence is associated with accelerated decreases in gray matter and attenuated increases in white matter volume, and aberrant neural activity during executive functioning, attentional control, and reward sensitivity tasks, when compared to non-drinking adolescents. Animal studies in rodents and non-human primates have replicated human findings, and suggest cognitive and neural consequences of adolescent alcohol use may persist into adulthood. Novel rodent studies demonstrate that adolescent alcohol use may increase reward responsiveness of the dopamine system to alcohol later in life, as well as disrupt adolescent neurogenesis, potentially through neuroinflammation, with long-lasting neural and behavioral effects into adulthood. Larger longitudinal human cognitive and neuroimaging studies with more diverse samples are currently underway which will improve understanding of the impact of polysubstance use, as well as the interactive effects of substance use, physical and mental health, and demographic factors on cognition and neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Briana Lees
- The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use, University of Sydney, Australia.
| | - Lindsay R Meredith
- University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Anna E Kirkland
- American University, Department of Psychology, United States of America
| | - Brittany E Bryant
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, United States of America
| | - Lindsay M Squeglia
- Medical University of South Carolina, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, United States of America
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14
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Matthews DB, Schneider A, Kastner A, Scaletty S, Szenay R. I can't drink what I used to: The interaction between ethanol and the aging brain. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2019; 148:79-99. [PMID: 31733668 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The population of most countries is increasing and the United Nations predicts that by the year 2050 those over the age of 60 years old will increase from 900 million individuals to approximately 2.1 billion individuals (United Nations, 2015). The increase in the number of older individuals will place a strain on many national health care systems making it important to investigate behaviors in the aged that may negatively impact general health in this demographic. Recent work has shown that older adults consume alcohol, often at levels that exceed the legal limit of intoxication. Unfortunately, consumption of high levels of ethanol in the older population is associated with many health consequences and may negatively impact the brain. Given ethical constraints found in many biomedical studies, animal models are needed to investigate the possible negative impact of high ethanol use in aged populations. However, few studies have investigated the effect of ethanol exposure in aged animals compared to ethanol exposure in younger animals and consequently the impact of ethanol in the aged population is not well understood. The current review summarizes initial work establishing the impact of ethanol in aged animals. The reviewed research studies support the working hypothesis that ethanol exposure produces significantly greater effects in aged animals compared to younger animals on many, if not all, behavioral tasks. In addition, the review proposes several initial, promising avenues of research to explore the neurobiological mechanisms that underly greater effects on ethanol-induced ataxia, cognition and sleep time. It is hoped that this effort will not only lead to a better understanding of behaviors impacted by ethanol in aged animals, but also improve the understanding brain mechanisms of the reported increased sensitivity to ethanol in the aged population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B Matthews
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States.
| | - Amelia Schneider
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Abigail Kastner
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Samantha Scaletty
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
| | - Rachel Szenay
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, United States
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15
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Crews FT, Robinson DL, Chandler LJ, Ehlers CL, Mulholland PJ, Pandey SC, Rodd ZA, Spear LP, Swartzwelder HS, Vetreno RP. Mechanisms of Persistent Neurobiological Changes Following Adolescent Alcohol Exposure: NADIA Consortium Findings. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1806-1822. [PMID: 31335972 PMCID: PMC6758927 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA) Consortium has focused on the impact of adolescent binge drinking on brain development, particularly on effects that persist into adulthood. Adolescent binge drinking is common, and while many factors contribute to human brain development and alcohol use during adolescence, animal models are critical for understanding the specific consequences of alcohol exposure during this developmental period and the underlying mechanisms. Using adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure models, NADIA investigators identified long-lasting AIE-induced changes in adult behavior that are consistent with observations in humans, such as increased alcohol drinking, increased anxiety (particularly social anxiety), increased impulsivity, reduced behavioral flexibility, impaired memory, disrupted sleep, and altered responses to alcohol. These behavioral changes are associated with multiple molecular, cellular, and physiological alterations in the brain that persist long after AIE exposure. At the molecular level, AIE results in long-lasting changes in neuroimmune/trophic factor balance and epigenetic-microRNA (miRNA) signaling across glia and neurons. At the cellular level, AIE history is associated in adulthood with reduced expression of cholinergic, serotonergic, and dopaminergic neuron markers, attenuated cortical thickness, decreased neurogenesis, and altered dendritic spine and glial morphology. This constellation of molecular and cellular adaptations to AIE likely contributes to observed alterations in neurophysiology, measured by synaptic physiology, EEG patterns, and functional connectivity. Many of these AIE-induced brain changes replicate findings seen in postmortem brains of humans with alcohol use disorder (AUD). NADIA researchers are now elucidating mechanisms of these adaptations. Emerging data demonstrate that exercise, antiinflammatory drugs, anticholinesterases, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and other pharmacological compounds are able to prevent (administered during AIE) and/or reverse (given after AIE) AIE-induced pathology in adulthood. These studies support hypotheses that adolescent binge drinking increases risk of adult hazardous drinking and influences brain development, and may provide insight into novel therapeutic targets for AIE-induced neuropathology and AUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - L Judson Chandler
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Cindy L Ehlers
- Department of Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California
| | - Patrick J Mulholland
- Department of Neuroscience, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Zachary A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Linda P Spear
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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16
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Ruby CL, Paye G, Fabi JL, Zhang J, Risinger MO, Palmer KN, Verbanes NM, D'Angelo A, Watts TM, Mabe L, Swartzwelder HS. Sex Differences in Photic Entrainment and Sensitivity to Ethanol-Induced Chronodisruption in Adult Mice After Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:2144-2159. [PMID: 30102762 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence supports a role for the circadian system in alcohol use disorders, but the impact of adolescent alcohol exposure on circadian timing later in life is unknown. Acute ethanol (EtOH) attenuates circadian photic phase-resetting in adult, but not adolescent, rodents. However, nearly all studies have focused on males and it is unknown whether this adolescent-typical insensitivity to EtOH persists into adulthood after adolescent drinking. METHODS Circadian activity was monitored in C57BL/6J mice receiving adolescent intermittent EtOH (AIE) exposure (15% EtOH and water every other day throughout adolescence) or water alone followed by 24 days wherein EtOH was not available (washout). Mice then received a challenge dose of EtOH (1.5 g/kg, intraperitoneal) or saline 15 minutes prior to a 30-minute phase-delaying light pulse and then were released into constant darkness (DD). To control for possible phase-shifting by EtOH challenge alone, a separate group of mice underwent AIE exposure (or water-only) and washout and then received an EtOH or saline injection, but did not receive a light pulse prior to DD. RESULTS Striking sex differences in nearly all measures of circadian photic entrainment were observed during adolescence but AIE effects were subtle and few. Only EtOH-naïve adult male mice showed attenuated photic phase-shifts with EtOH challenge, while all other groups showed normal phase-resetting responses to light. AIE-exposed females showed a persistent delay in activity offset. CONCLUSIONS Adult male AIE-exposed mice retained adolescent-like insensitivity to EtOH-induced suppression of photic phase-resetting, suggesting AIE-induced "lock-in" of an adolescent behavioral phenotype. Adult AIE-exposed females showed delayed initiation of the rest phase. Our results also indicate that intermittent EtOH drinking has subtle effects on circadian activity in mice during adolescence that differ from previously reported effects on adult males. The observed sex differences in circadian activity, EtOH consumption and preference, and responses to EtOH challenge merit future mechanistic study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina L Ruby
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Gerneleh Paye
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Jason L Fabi
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Jiawen Zhang
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Megan O Risinger
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Kaitlyn N Palmer
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Natalie M Verbanes
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Ariana D'Angelo
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Tia M Watts
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - Lauren Mabe
- Department of Biology , Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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17
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Spear LP. Effects of adolescent alcohol consumption on the brain and behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018; 19:197-214. [PMID: 29467469 DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2018.10] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Per occasion, alcohol consumption is higher in adolescents than in adults in both humans and laboratory animals, with changes in the adolescent brain probably contributing to this elevated drinking. This Review examines the contributors to and consequences of the use of alcohol in adolescents. Human adolescents with a history of alcohol use differ neurally and cognitively from other adolescents; some of these differences predate the commencement of alcohol consumption and serve as potential risk factors for later alcohol use, whereas others emerge from its use. The consequences of alcohol use in human adolescents include alterations in attention, verbal learning, visuospatial processing and memory, along with altered development of grey and white matter volumes and disrupted white matter integrity. The functional consequences of adolescent alcohol use emerging from studies of rodent models of adolescence include decreased cognitive flexibility, behavioural inefficiencies and elevations in anxiety, disinhibition, impulsivity and risk-taking. Rodent studies have also showed that adolescent alcohol use can impair neurogenesis, induce neuroinflammation and epigenetic alterations, and lead to the persistence of adolescent-like neurobehavioural phenotypes into adulthood. Although only a limited number of studies have examined comparable measures in humans and laboratory animals, the available data provide evidence for notable across-species similarities in the neural consequences of adolescent alcohol exposure, providing support for further translational efforts in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda P Spear
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC) and Behavioural Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
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18
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Miceli M, Molina SJ, Forcada A, Acosta GB, Guelman LR. Voluntary alcohol intake after noise exposure in adolescent rats: Hippocampal-related behavioral alterations. Brain Res 2017; 1679:10-18. [PMID: 29113737 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Different physical or chemical agents, such as noise or alcohol, can induce diverse behavioral and biochemical alterations. Considering the high probability of young people to undergo consecutive or simultaneous exposures, the aim of the present work was to investigate in an animal model if noise exposure at early adolescence could induce hippocampal-related behavioral changes that might be modified after alcohol intake. Male Wistar rats (28-days-old) were exposed to noise (95-97 dB, 2 h). Afterwards, animals were allowed to voluntarily drink alcohol (10% ethanol in tap water) for three consecutive days, using the two-bottle free choice paradigm. After that, hippocampal-related memory and anxiety-like behavior tests were performed. Results show that whereas noise-exposed rats presented deficits in habituation memory, those who drank alcohol exhibited impairments in associative memory and anxiety-like behaviors. In contrast, exposure to noise followed by alcohol intake showed increases in exploratory and locomotor activities as well as in anxiety-like behaviors, unlike what was observed using each agent separately. Finally, lower levels of alcohol intake were measured in these animals when compared with those that drank alcohol and were not exposed to noise. Present findings demonstrate that exposure to physical and chemical challenges during early adolescence might induce behavioral alterations that could differ depending on the schedule used, suggesting a high vulnerability of rat developing brain to these socially relevant agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Miceli
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - S J Molina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO, UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - A Forcada
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - G B Acosta
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas (ININFA, UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L R Guelman
- Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Medicina, 1ª Cátedra de Farmacología, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad de Buenos Aires, Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFyBO, UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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19
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Adolescent Ethanol Exposure Enhances NMDA Receptor-Mediated Currents in Hippocampal Neurons: Reversal by Gabapentin. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13133. [PMID: 29030575 PMCID: PMC5640643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12956-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure compromises neural function into adulthood. We have reported that astrocyte-secreted thrombospondins, and their target neuronal receptors (α2δ−1) are upregulated in the hippocampus in adulthood after AIE, suggesting aberrant excitatory synaptogenesis and hyperexcitability in memory-related circuits. Gabapentin antagonizes the interaction of thrombospondins (TSPs) with the α2δ−1 receptor, and thus may reverse or ameliorate the effects of AIE on hippocampal function. Adolescent rats were exposed to AIE or vehicle. In adulthood, hippocampal slices were prepared. Half of the slices from each animal were pre-incubated in normal artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) while half were pre-incubated in aCSF containing gabapentin. Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings were then made from CA1 pyramidal cells in normal aCSF. Evoked, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated currents were recorded at baseline, and after application of the GluN2B antagonist, RO25–6981. Current amplitudes were higher in neurons from AIE-exposed animals. However, no amplitude increase was observed in neurons from slices that had been pre-incubation in gabapentin. GluN2B antagonism reduced NMDA receptor-mediated currents more efficaciously in cells from AIE-exposed animals, an effect that was also reversed by pre-incubation in gabapentin. These findings identify a mechanism underlying the enduring effects of AIE, and a clinically-utilized agent that may ameliorate those effects.
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20
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Matthews DB, Mittleman G. Age-dependent effects of chronic intermittent ethanol treatment: Gross motor behavior and body weight in aged, adult and adolescent rats. Neurosci Lett 2017; 657:146-150. [PMID: 28789984 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2017.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2017] [Revised: 07/24/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The proportion of people in the population who are elderly is rapidly increasing. In addition, dangerous alcohol consumption in this demographic is rising. Approximately 33% of all people with an alcohol use disorder are diagnosed with late onset alcoholism. However, few suitable animal models for late onset alcoholism exist, making it difficult to investigate the impact of alcoholism later in life. The current study investigated if chronic intermittent ethanol exposure via intraperitoneal injections every other day for 20days in aged, adult and adolescent male rats differentially alters body weight and impairs gross motor behavior as measured by the aerial righting reflex. The body weight of aged and adult rats were significantly decreased by chronic intermittent ethanol exposure while the body weight of adolescent rats was not impacted. In addition, the aerial righting reflex of aged rats was significantly more impaired by alcohol exposure than the aerial righting reflex of adult or adolescent animals. Chronic intermittent ethanol exposure did not produce tolerance in the aerial righting reflex for any of the three age groups. The differential age sensitivity in the aerial righting reflex was not due to differential blood ethanol concentrations. The current work demonstrates the risk factors of chronic alcohol use in the elderly and highlights the need for additional study in this vulnerable demographic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas B Matthews
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, United States.
| | - Guy Mittleman
- Department of Psychological Science, Ball State University, United States
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21
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Impact of adolescent alcohol use across the lifespan: Long-lasting tolerance to high-dose alcohol coupled with potentiated spatial memory impairments to moderate-dose alcohol. Alcohol 2017; 61:33-42. [PMID: 28479015 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2017.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Revised: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 01/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Understanding how alcohol exposure during adolescence affects aging is a critical but understudied area. In the present study, male rats were exposed to either alcohol or saline during adolescence, then tested every 4 months following either an ethanol or saline challenge; animals were tested until postnatal day (PD) 532. It was found that long-lasting tolerance to high-dose ethanol exists through the test period, as measured by loss of righting reflex, while tolerance to lower doses of ethanol is not found. In addition, alcohol exposure during adolescence facilitated spatial memory impairments to acute ethanol challenges later in life. The current work demonstrates that exposure to ethanol during adolescent development can produce long-lasting detrimental impairments.
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22
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Crews FT, Vetreno RP, Broadwater MA, Robinson DL. Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Persistently Impacts Adult Neurobiology and Behavior. Pharmacol Rev 2016; 68:1074-1109. [PMID: 27677720 PMCID: PMC5050442 DOI: 10.1124/pr.115.012138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 213] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental period when physical and cognitive abilities are optimized, when social skills are consolidated, and when sexuality, adolescent behaviors, and frontal cortical functions mature to adult levels. Adolescents also have unique responses to alcohol compared with adults, being less sensitive to ethanol sedative-motor responses that most likely contribute to binge drinking and blackouts. Population studies find that an early age of drinking onset correlates with increased lifetime risks for the development of alcohol dependence, violence, and injuries. Brain synapses, myelination, and neural circuits mature in adolescence to adult levels in parallel with increased reflection on the consequence of actions and reduced impulsivity and thrill seeking. Alcohol binge drinking could alter human development, but variations in genetics, peer groups, family structure, early life experiences, and the emergence of psychopathology in humans confound studies. As adolescence is common to mammalian species, preclinical models of binge drinking provide insight into the direct impact of alcohol on adolescent development. This review relates human findings to basic science studies, particularly the preclinical studies of the Neurobiology of Adolescent Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA) Consortium. These studies focus on persistent adult changes in neurobiology and behavior following adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE), a model of underage drinking. NADIA studies and others find that AIE results in the following: increases in adult alcohol drinking, disinhibition, and social anxiety; altered adult synapses, cognition, and sleep; reduced adult neurogenesis, cholinergic, and serotonergic neurons; and increased neuroimmune gene expression and epigenetic modifiers of gene expression. Many of these effects are specific to adolescents and not found in parallel adult studies. AIE can cause a persistence of adolescent-like synaptic physiology, behavior, and sensitivity to alcohol into adulthood. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that adolescent binge drinking leads to long-lasting changes in the adult brain that increase risks of adult psychopathology, particularly for alcohol dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (F.T.C., R.P.V., M.A.B., D.L.R.), Department of Psychiatry (F.T.C., D.L.R.), and Department of Pharmacology (F.T.C.), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (F.T.C., R.P.V., M.A.B., D.L.R.), Department of Psychiatry (F.T.C., D.L.R.), and Department of Pharmacology (F.T.C.), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Margaret A Broadwater
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (F.T.C., R.P.V., M.A.B., D.L.R.), Department of Psychiatry (F.T.C., D.L.R.), and Department of Pharmacology (F.T.C.), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies (F.T.C., R.P.V., M.A.B., D.L.R.), Department of Psychiatry (F.T.C., D.L.R.), and Department of Pharmacology (F.T.C.), School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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23
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Roux A, Jackson SN, Muller L, Barbacci D, O’Rourke J, Thanos PK, Volkow ND, Balaban C, Schultz JA, Woods AS. Ethanol Induced Brain Lipid Changes in Mice Assessed by Mass Spectrometry. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:1148-56. [PMID: 27269520 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alcohol abuse is a chronic disease characterized by the consumption of alcohol at a level that interferes with physical and mental health and causes serious and persistent changes in the brain. Lipid metabolism is of particular interest due to its high concentration in the brain. Lipids are the main component of cell membranes, are involved in cell signaling, signal transduction, and energy storage. In this study, we analyzed lipid composition of chronically ethanol exposed mouse brains. Juvenile (JUV) and adult (ADU) mice were placed on a daily limited-access ethanol intake model for 52 days. After euthanasia, brains were harvested, and total lipids were extracted from brain homogenates. Samples were analyzed using high resolution mass spectrometry and processed by multivariate and univariate statistical analysis. Significant lipid changes were observed in different classes including sphingolipids, fatty acids, lysophosphatidylcholines, and other glycerophospholipids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurelie Roux
- Structural
Biology Unit, NIDA IRP, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Shelley N. Jackson
- Structural
Biology Unit, NIDA IRP, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Ludovic Muller
- Structural
Biology Unit, NIDA IRP, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | | | - Joseph O’Rourke
- Behavioral
Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Panayotis K. Thanos
- Behavioral
Neuropharmacology and Neuroimaging Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Nora D. Volkow
- Structural
Biology Unit, NIDA IRP, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
| | - Carey Balaban
- Departments of Otolaryngology, Neurobiology, Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States
| | | | - Amina S. Woods
- Structural
Biology Unit, NIDA IRP, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland 21224, United States
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24
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Spear LP. Consequences of adolescent use of alcohol and other drugs: Studies using rodent models. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:228-243. [PMID: 27484868 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2016] [Revised: 07/08/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Studies using animal models of adolescent exposure to alcohol, nicotine, cannabinoids, and the stimulants cocaine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethampethamine and methamphetamine have revealed a variety of persisting neural and behavioral consequences. Affected brain regions often include mesolimbic and prefrontal regions undergoing notable ontogenetic change during adolescence, although it is unclear whether this represents areas of specific vulnerability or particular scrutiny to date. Persisting alterations in forebrain systems critical for modulating reward, socioemotional processing and cognition have emerged, including apparent induction of a hyper-dopaminergic state with some drugs and/or attenuations in neurons expressing cholinergic markers. Disruptions in cognitive functions such as working memory, alterations in affect including increases in social anxiety, and mixed evidence for increases in later drug self-administration has also been reported. When consequences of adolescent and adult exposure were compared, adolescents were generally found to be more vulnerable to alcohol, nicotine, and cannabinoids, but generally not to stimulants. More work is needed to determine how adolescent drug exposure influences sculpting of the adolescent brain, and provide approaches to prevent/reverse these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, United States.
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25
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Kyzar EJ, Floreani C, Teppen TL, Pandey SC. Adolescent Alcohol Exposure: Burden of Epigenetic Reprogramming, Synaptic Remodeling, and Adult Psychopathology. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:222. [PMID: 27303256 PMCID: PMC4885838 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence represents a crucial phase of synaptic maturation characterized by molecular changes in the developing brain that shape normal behavioral patterns. Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in these neuromaturation processes. Perturbations of normal epigenetic programming during adolescence by ethanol can disrupt these molecular events, leading to synaptic remodeling and abnormal adult behaviors. Repeated exposure to binge levels of alcohol increases the risk for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid psychopathology including anxiety in adulthood. Recent studies in the field clearly suggest that adolescent alcohol exposure causes widespread and persistent changes in epigenetic, neurotrophic, and neuroimmune pathways in the brain. These changes are manifested by altered synaptic remodeling and neurogenesis in key brain regions leading to adult psychopathology such as anxiety and alcoholism. This review details the molecular mechanisms underlying adolescent alcohol exposure-induced changes in synaptic plasticity and the development of alcohol addiction-related phenotypes in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan J Kyzar
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical CenterChicago, IL, USA
| | - Christina Floreani
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical CenterChicago, IL, USA
| | - Tara L Teppen
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical CenterChicago, IL, USA
| | - Subhash C Pandey
- Department of Psychiatry, Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical CenterChicago, IL, USA; Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL, USA
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26
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Novier A, Diaz-Granados JL, Matthews DB. Alcohol use across the lifespan: An analysis of adolescent and aged rodents and humans. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2015; 133:65-82. [PMID: 25842258 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2015.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2014] [Revised: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence and old age are unique periods of the lifespan characterized by differential sensitivity to the effects of alcohol. Adolescents and the elderly appear to be more vulnerable to many of alcohol's physiological and behavioral effects compared to adults. The current review explores the differential effects of acute alcohol, predominantly in terms of motor function and cognition, in adolescent and aged humans and rodents. Adolescents are less sensitive to the sedative-hypnotic, anxiolytic, and motor-impairing effects of acute alcohol, but research results are less consistent as it relates to alcohol's effects on cognition. Specifically, previous research has shown adolescents to be more, less, and similarly sensitive to alcohol-induced cognitive deficits compared to adults. These equivocal findings suggest that learning acquisition may be differentially affected by ethanol compared to memory, or that ethanol-induced cognitive deficits are task-dependent. Older rodents appear to be particularly vulnerable to the motor- and cognitive-impairing effects of acute alcohol relative to younger adults. Given that alcohol consumption and abuse is prevalent throughout the lifespan, it is important to recognize age-related differences in response to acute and long-term alcohol. Unfortunately, diagnostic measures and treatment options for alcohol dependence are rarely dedicated to adolescent and aging populations. As discussed, although much scientific advancement has been made regarding the differential effects of alcohol between adolescents and adults, research with the aged is underrepresented. Future researchers should be aware that adolescents and the aged are uniquely affected by alcohol and should continue to investigate alcohol's effects at different stages of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adelle Novier
- Baylor University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, One Bear Place #97334, Waco, TX 76798, United States
| | - Jaime L Diaz-Granados
- Baylor University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, One Bear Place #97334, Waco, TX 76798, United States
| | - Douglas B Matthews
- Baylor University, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, One Bear Place #97334, Waco, TX 76798, United States; University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Department of Psychology, HHH 273, Eau Claire, WI 54702, United States.
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Wang K, Song H, Jin M, Xiao H, Zhao G, Zou H, Yu L. Chronic alcohol consumption from adolescence to adulthood in mice--hypothalamic gene expression changes in insulin-signaling pathway. Alcohol 2014; 48:571-8. [PMID: 25088817 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a developmental stage vulnerable to alcohol drinking-related problems, and alcohol exposure during adolescence may lead to long-lasting consequences. The hypothalamus is a key brain region for food and water intake regulation as well as weight control, and is one of the alcohol-sensitive brain regions. However, it is not known what the alcohol effect is on the hypothalamus following adolescent alcohol intake, chronically over adolescent development, at moderate levels. We employed a model of chronic moderate alcohol intake from adolescence to adulthood in mice, and analyzed the effect of alcohol on growth and weight gain, as well as hypothalamic gene expression patterns. The results indicated that chronic alcohol consumption during adolescence, even at moderate levels, led to both a reduction in weight gain in mice, and considerable gene expression changes in the hypothalamus. Pathway analysis and real-time PCR identified the type II diabetes mellitus and the insulin-signaling pathways as being the hypothalamic pathways affected by chronic alcohol. Our findings from the mouse alcohol consumption study therefore serve as a potential warning against alcohol consumption during adolescence, such as in teens and college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Wang
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai and National Engineering Research Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China; Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Shu Guang Hospital Affiliated with the Shanghai Traditional Medicine University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huaiguang Song
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai and National Engineering Research Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Meilei Jin
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Huasheng Xiao
- Shanghai-MOST Key Laboratory of Health and Disease Genomics, Chinese National Human Genome Center at Shanghai and National Engineering Research Center for Biochip at Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Guoping Zhao
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Department of Microbiology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Hong Zou
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology, School of Life Sciences and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Lei Yu
- Department of Genetics & Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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Teixeira FB, Santana LNDS, Bezerra FR, De Carvalho S, Fontes-Júnior EA, Prediger RD, Crespo-López ME, Maia CSF, Lima RR. Chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence in rats induces motor impairments and cerebral cortex damage associated with oxidative stress. PLoS One 2014; 9:e101074. [PMID: 24967633 PMCID: PMC4072717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0101074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Binge drinking is common among adolescents, and this type of ethanol exposure may lead to long-term nervous system damage. In the current study, we evaluated motor performance and tissue alterations in the cerebral cortex of rats subjected to intermittent intoxication with ethanol from adolescence to adulthood. Adolescent male Wistar rats (35 days old) were treated with distilled water or ethanol (6.5 g/kg/day, 22.5% w/v) during 55 days by gavage to complete 90 days of age. The open field, inclined plane and the rotarod tests were used to assess the spontaneous locomotor activity and motor coordination performance in adult animals. Following completion of behavioral tests, half of animals were submitted to immunohistochemical evaluation of NeuN (marker of neuronal bodies), GFAP (a marker of astrocytes) and Iba1 (microglia marker) in the cerebral cortex while the other half of the animals were subjected to analysis of oxidative stress markers by biochemical assays. Chronic ethanol intoxication in rats from adolescence to adulthood induced significant motor deficits including impaired spontaneous locomotion, coordination and muscle strength. These behavioral impairments were accompanied by marked changes in all cellular populations evaluated as well as increased levels of nitrite and lipid peroxidation in the cerebral cortex. These findings indicate that continuous ethanol intoxication from adolescence to adulthood is able to provide neurobehavioral and neurodegenerative damage to cerebral cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisco Bruno Teixeira
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Luana Nazaré da Silva Santana
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Fernando Romualdo Bezerra
- Laboratory Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behavior, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Sabrina De Carvalho
- Laboratory Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behavior, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Enéas Andrade Fontes-Júnior
- Laboratory Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behavior, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil; Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Rui Daniel Prediger
- Department of Pharmacology, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Maria Elena Crespo-López
- Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Socorro Ferraz Maia
- Laboratory Pharmacology of Inflammation and Behavior, Institute of Health Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
| | - Rafael Rodrigues Lima
- Laboratory of Functional and Structural Biology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém-Pará, Brazil
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Swartzwelder H, Hogan A, Risher ML, Swartzwelder RA, Wilson WA, Acheson SK. Effect of sub-chronic intermittent ethanol exposure on spatial learning and ethanol sensitivity in adolescent and adult rats. Alcohol 2014; 48:353-60. [PMID: 24795209 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2013] [Revised: 02/17/2014] [Accepted: 02/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
It has become clear that adolescence is a period of distinct responsiveness to the acute effects of ethanol on learning and other cognitive functions. However, the effects of repeated intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence on learning and cognition are less well studied, and other effects of repeated ethanol exposure such as withdrawal and chronic tolerance complicate such experiments. Moreover, few studies have compared the effects of repeated ethanol exposure during adolescence and adulthood, and they have yielded mixed outcomes that may be related to methodological differences and/or secondary effects of ethanol on behavioral performance. One emerging question is whether relatively brief intermittent ethanol exposure (i.e., sub-chronic exposure) during adolescence or adulthood might alter learning at a time after exposure when chronic tolerance would be expected, and whether tolerance to the cognitive effects of ethanol might influence the effect of ethanol on learning at that time. To address this, male adolescent and adult rats were pre-treated with sub-chronic daily ethanol (five doses [4.0 g/kg, i.p.] or saline at 24-h intervals, across 5 days). Two days after the last pre-exposure, spatial learning was assessed on 4 consecutive days using the Morris water maze. Half of the animals from each treatment cell received ethanol (2.0 g/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior to each testing session and half of the animals received saline. Ethanol pre-exposure altered water maze performance in adult animals but not in adolescents, and acute ethanol exposure impaired learning in animals of both ages independent of pre-exposure condition. There was no evidence of cognitive tolerance in animals of either age group. These results indicate that a relatively short period of intermittent ethanol exposure during adulthood, but not adolescence, promotes thigmotaxis in the water maze shortly after pre-exposure but does not induce cognitive tolerance to the effects of ethanol in either age group.
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Spear LP, Swartzwelder HS. Adolescent alcohol exposure and persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes into adulthood: a mini-review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 45:1-8. [PMID: 24813805 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 04/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol use is typically initiated during adolescence, which, along with young adulthood, is a vulnerable period for the onset of high-risk drinking and alcohol abuse. Given across-species commonalities in certain fundamental neurobehavioral characteristics of adolescence, studies in laboratory animals such as the rat have proved useful to assess persisting consequences of repeated alcohol exposure. Despite limited research to date, reports of long-lasting effects of adolescent ethanol exposure are emerging, along with certain common themes. One repeated finding is that adolescent exposure to ethanol sometimes results in the persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes into adulthood. Instances of adolescent-like persistence have been seen in terms of baseline behavioral, cognitive, electrophysiological and neuroanatomical characteristics, along with the retention of adolescent-typical sensitivities to acute ethanol challenge. These effects are generally not observed after comparable ethanol exposure in adulthood. Persistence of adolescent-typical phenotypes is not always evident, and may be related to regionally specific ethanol influences on the interplay between CNS excitation and inhibition critical for the timing of neuroplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Patia Spear
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Neurobiology Research Laboratory, VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, United States
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Higher long-lasting ethanol sensitization after adolescent ethanol exposure in mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1821-9. [PMID: 24317444 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3376-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 11/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Due to their maturing brain, adolescents are suggested to be more vulnerable to the long-term consequences of chronic alcohol use. Increased sensitization to the stimulant effects of ethanol is a possible consequence of ethanol exposure during adolescence. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterize the long-term alterations in the stimulant effects of ethanol and in the rate of ethanol sensitization in mice pre-exposed to ethanol during adolescence in comparison to mice pre-exposed to ethanol in adulthood. METHODS Adolescent and adult female Swiss mice were injected with saline or ethanol (2.5 or 4 g/kg) during 14 consecutive days. After a 3-week period of ethanol abstinence, mice were tested as adults before and after a second exposure to daily repeated ethanol injections. RESULTS All mice pre-exposed to ethanol as adults or adolescents showed higher stimulant effects when re-exposed to ethanol 3 weeks later. However, this enhanced sensitivity to the stimulant effects of ethanol was of significantly higher magnitude in mice repeatedly injected with high ethanol doses (4 g/kg) during adolescence. Furthermore, the increased expression of ethanol stimulant effects in these mice was maintained even after a second procedure of ethanol sensitization. CONCLUSIONS Adolescence is a critical period for the development of a sensitization to ethanol stimulant properties providing that high intermittent ethanol doses are administered. These results might contribute to explain the relationship between age at first alcohol use and risks of later alcohol problems and highlight the dangers of repeated consumption of high alcohol amounts in young adolescents.
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32
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Silveri MM. GABAergic contributions to alcohol responsivity during adolescence: insights from preclinical and clinical studies. Pharmacol Ther 2014; 143:197-216. [PMID: 24631274 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2014.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 02/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
There is a considerable body of literature demonstrating that adolescence is a unique age period, which includes rapid and dramatic maturation of behavioral, cognitive, hormonal and neurobiological systems. Most notably, adolescence is also a period of unique responsiveness to alcohol effects, with both hyposensitivity and hypersensitivity observed to the various effects of alcohol. Multiple neurotransmitter systems are undergoing fine-tuning during this critical period of brain development, including those that contribute to the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse. The role of developmental maturation of the γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA) system, however, has received less attention in contributing to age-specific alcohol sensitivities. This review integrates GABA findings from human magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies as they may translate to understanding adolescent-specific responsiveness to alcohol effects. Better understanding of the vulnerability of the GABA system both during adolescent development, and in psychiatric conditions that include alcohol dependence, could point to a putative mechanism, boosting brain GABA, that may have increased effectiveness for treating alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marisa M Silveri
- Neurodevelopmental Laboratory on Addictions and Mental Health, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Broadwater M, Spear LP. Consequences of adolescent or adult ethanol exposure on tone and context fear retention: effects of an acute ethanol challenge during conditioning. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:1454-60. [PMID: 24588350 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 01/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An acute ethanol (EtOH) challenge prior to fear conditioning typically disrupts fear retention to contextual cues to a greater degree than fear retention to a discrete tone cue, and adolescent rats are less sensitive than adults to these EtOH-induced disruptions of context fear memory. Given that some research suggests that repeated EtOH exposure during adolescence may "lock-in" adolescent-typical EtOH sensitivity into adulthood, the purpose of this study was to determine whether adults exposed to EtOH as adolescents would be less sensitive to EtOH-induced disruptions of context fear. METHODS Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given 4 g/kg intragastric EtOH (25% v/v) or water every 48 hours for a total of 11 exposures during adolescence (postnatal day [P] 28 to 48) or adulthood (P70-90). After a 22-day non-EtOH period, animals were acutely challenged with 1 g/kg intraperitoneal EtOH or saline 10 minutes prior to tone or context (noncued) fear conditioning. Tone and context fear retention was subsequently examined. RESULTS Regardless of age or exposure history, typical deficits in context fear retention were evident after EtOH challenge during conditioning. Similarly, tone fear retention was disrupted in all animals that were trained in the presence of EtOH, which was somewhat surprising given the relative resistance of tone fear retention to an acute EtOH challenge. CONCLUSIONS These results do not support the notion of a "lock-in" of adolescent-typical EtOH sensitivity as there was no influence of exposure age on sensitivity to the disruptive effects of an acute EtOH challenge. Thus, it appears that not all adolescent-like EtOH sensitivities persist into adulthood after prior EtOH exposure during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Broadwater
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Abstract
The present study investigated the rate and pattern of neuropsychological recovery in heavy episodic drinking teens during the initial days to weeks of abstinence from alcohol. Adolescents (ages, 16-18 years) with histories of heavy episodic drinking (HED; N = 39) and socio-demographically similar control teens (CON; N = 26) were recruited from San Diego area schools. HED and CON were comparable on 5th grade standardized math and language arts test performance to ensure similar functioning before onset of substance use. Participants were administered three neuropsychological test batteries with 2-week intervals during a 4-week monitored abstinence period. HED teens performed worse overall than CON on tests of prospective memory (p = .005), cognitive switching (p = .039), inhibition task accuracy (p = .001), verbal memory (p's < .045), visuospatial construction (p's < .043), and language and achievement (p's < .008). The statistically significant group × time interaction for block design demonstrated normalization within the 4 weeks of abstinence for the HED (p = .009). This study identified cognitive performance deficits associated with heavy episodic drinking in adolescence during early abstinence and with sustained 4-week abstention. These findings suggest alcohol-related influences on several underlying brain systems that may predate the onset of alcohol abuse or dependence or take longer than 4 weeks to recover.
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Spear LP. Adolescents and alcohol: acute sensitivities, enhanced intake, and later consequences. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2014; 41:51-9. [PMID: 24291291 PMCID: PMC3943972 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2013.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2013] [Revised: 11/15/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved developmental period characterized by notable maturational changes in the brain along with various age-related behavioral characteristics, including the propensity to initiate alcohol and other drug use and consume more alcohol per occasion than adults. After a brief review of adolescent neurobehavioral function from an evolutionary perspective, the paper will turn to assessment of adolescent alcohol sensitivity and consequences, with a focus on work from our laboratory. After summarizing evidence showing that adolescents differ considerably from adults in their sensitivity to various effects of alcohol, potential contributors to these age-typical sensitivities will be discussed, and the degree to which these findings are generalizable to other drugs and to human adolescents will be considered. Recent studies are then reviewed to illustrate that repeated alcohol exposure during adolescence induces behavioral, cognitive, and neural alterations that are highly specific, replicable, persistent and dependent on the timing of the exposure. Research in this area is in its early stages, however, and more work will be necessary to characterize the extent of these neurobehavioral alterations and further determine the degree to which observed effects are specific to alcohol exposure during adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Patia Spear
- Department of Psychology, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (DEARC), Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
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Abstract
Alcohol-induced brain damage likely contributes to the dysfunctional poor decisions associated with alcohol dependence. Human alcoholics have a global loss of brain volume that is most severe in the frontal cortex. Neuroimmune gene induction by binge drinking increases neurodegeneration through increased oxidative stress, particularly NADPH oxidase-induced oxidative stress. In addition, HMGB1-TLR4 and innate immune NF-κB target genes are increased leading to persistent and sensitized neuroimmune responses to ethanol and other agents that release HMGB1 or directly stimulate TLR receptors and/or NMDA receptors. Neuroimmune signaling and glutamate excitotoxicity are linked to alcoholic neurodegeneration. Models of adolescent alcohol abuse lead to significant frontal cortical degeneration and show the most severe loss of hippocampal neurogenesis. Adolescence is a period of high risk for ethanol-induced neurodegeneration and alterations in brain structure, gene expression, and maturation of adult phenotypes. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that adolescence is a period of risk for persistent and long-lasting increases in brain neuroimmune gene expression that promote persistent and long-term increases in alcohol consumption, neuroimmune gene induction, and neurodegeneration that we find associated with alcohol use disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Developmental changes in the acute ethanol sensitivity of glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission in the BNST. Alcohol 2013; 47:531-7. [PMID: 24103431 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2013.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 08/26/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Glutamatergic and GABAergic transmission undergo significant changes during adolescence. Receptors for both of these transmitters (NMDAR, and GABAA) are known to be key targets for the acute effects of ethanol in adults. The current study set out to investigate the acute effects of ethanol on both NMDAR-mediated excitatory transmission and GABAergic inhibitory transmission within the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) across age. The BNST is an area of the brain implicated in the negative reinforcing properties associated with alcohol dependence, and the BNST plays a critical role in stress-induced relapse. Therefore, assessing the developmental regulation of ethanol sensitivity in this key brain region is important to understanding the progression of ethanol dependence. To do this, whole-cell recordings of isolated NMDAR-evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (eEPSCs) or evoked GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (eIPSCs) were performed on BNST neurons in slices from 4- or 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice. Ethanol (50 mm) produced greater inhibition of NMDAR-eEPSCs in adolescent mice than in adult mice. This enhanced sensitivity in adolescence was not a result of shifts in function of the GluN2B subunit of the NMDAR, measured by Ro25-6981 inhibition and decay kinetics measured across age. Adolescent mice also exhibited greater ethanol sensitivity of GABAergic transmission, as ethanol (50 mm) enhanced eIPSCs in the BNST of adolescent but not adult mice. Collectively, this work illustrates that a moderate dose of ethanol produces greater inhibition of transmission in the BNST (through greater excitatory inhibition and enhancement of inhibitory transmission) in adolescents compared to adults. Given the role of the BNST in alcohol dependence, these developmental changes in acute ethanol sensitivity could accelerate neuroadaptations that result from chronic ethanol use during the critical period of adolescence.
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Keyes KM, Miech R. Age, period, and cohort effects in heavy episodic drinking in the US from 1985 to 2009. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013; 132:140-8. [PMID: 23433898 PMCID: PMC4827021 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2012] [Revised: 01/23/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evaluating population-level patterns of heavy episodic drinking by age, period, and cohort is critical to understanding population-level influences on rates over time and to forecasting future trends for public health planning efforts. The present study examined trends in heavy episodic drinking in the US from 1985 through 2009 in a nationally representative sample that included adolescents and adults. METHODS Data are drawn from repeated cross-sectional surveys of US households as part of the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health conducted in 1985, 1988, and annually from 1990 though 2009, inclusive (N=809,281). Heavy episodic drinking was defined as any instance of consuming five or more drinks in one sitting in the past month. Age-period-cohort models were identified using the Intrinsic Estimator algorithm. RESULTS Heavy episodic drinking is decreasing in the US among adolescents and young adults, with the most recently born cohorts (born in the 1990s) at lower odds of heavy episodic drinking compared with cohorts born in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Results were consistent across sex and race/ethnicity, with the exception that the decrease is not apparent among Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS These data are promising in that young cohorts appear to be reducing heavy episodic drinking, however the lack of decrease among Hispanics suggests targeted intervention and prevention as well as increased surveillance are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Keyes
- Columbia University, New York, NY, United States,Corresponding author at: Columbia University, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, Suite 503, New York, NY 10032, United States. Tel.: +1 212 304 5652; fax: +1 212 543 5913. (K.M. Keyes)
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Behrendt S, Bühringer G, Perkonigg A, Lieb R, Beesdo-Baum K. Characteristics of developmentally early alcohol use disorder symptom reports: a prospective-longitudinal community study. Drug Alcohol Depend 2013; 131:308-15. [PMID: 23333293 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2012] [Revised: 12/17/2012] [Accepted: 12/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is little prospective-epidemiological information on symptoms of DSM-IV-alcohol use disorder (alcohol abuse and dependence; AUD) that may be typical for early AUD stages or the developmental periods of adolescence and early adulthood. AIMS To investigate AUD symptoms (AUDS) cross-sectionally at three subsequent assessment waves regarding prevalence rates, symptom counts, associated drinking patterns, positive predictive values (PPV) for DSM-IV-alcohol dependence (AD), and AUDS stability over time. METHODS N=2039 community subjects (baseline age 14-24 years) participated in a baseline and two follow-up assessment(s) over up to ten years. DSM-IV-AUDS, DSM-IV-AUD and craving were assessed with the DSM-IV/M-CIDI. RESULTS Over the assessment waves, tolerance and much time were most and role obligations and withdrawal least frequent. Most subjects with DSM-IV-AUDS reported only one symptom (47.2-55.1%). PPV for DSM-IV-AD only exceeded 70% for activities, problem, withdrawal, and desired control; PPV were lowest for tolerance and hazardous use. For most AUDS, AUDS report compared to non-report was associated with elevated drinking frequency and amounts. Stability of baseline AUDS at four-year and ten-year follow-up did not exceed 36.4% for any symptom. CONCLUSIONS The overall pattern of most/least frequent AUDS reported in adolescence and early adulthood resembles findings in older adults and does not suggest a developmentally specific symptom pattern. Moderate AUDS-stability and considerable remission rates indicate that AUDS in this age group are transient for a considerable proportion of subjects. However, the associations with elevated consumption indicate that AUDS reports early in life need to be taken seriously in prevention and intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Behrendt
- Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Technische Universitaet Dresden, Chemnitzer Str. 46, D-01187 Dresden, Germany.
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Fleming RL, Li Q, Risher ML, Sexton HG, Moore SD, Wilson WA, Acheson SK, Swartzwelder HS. Binge-pattern ethanol exposure during adolescence, but not adulthood, causes persistent changes in GABAA receptor-mediated tonic inhibition in dentate granule cells. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2013; 37:1154-60. [PMID: 23413887 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2012] [Accepted: 11/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years, it has become clear that acute ethanol (EtOH) affects various neurobiological and behavioral functions differently in adolescent animals than in adults. However, less is known about the long-term neural consequences of chronic EtOH exposure during adolescence, and most importantly whether adolescence represents a developmental period of enhanced vulnerability to such effects. METHODS We made whole-cell recordings of GABAA receptor-mediated tonic inhibitory currents from dentate gyrus granule cells (DGGCs) in hippocampal slices from adult rats that had been treated with chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) or saline during adolescence, young adulthood, or adulthood. RESULTS CIE reduced baseline tonic current amplitude in DGGCs from animals pretreated with EtOH during adolescence, but not in GCs from those pretreated with EtOH during young adulthood or adulthood. Similarly, the enhancement of tonic currents by acute EtOH exposure ex vivo was increased in GCs from animals pretreated with EtOH during adolescence, but not in those from animals pretreated during either of the other 2 developmental periods. CONCLUSIONS These findings underscore our recent report that CIE during adolescence results in enduring alterations in tonic current and its acute EtOH sensitivity and establish that adolescence is a developmental period during which the hippocampal formation is distinctively vulnerable to long-term alteration by chronic EtOH exposure.
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Hutchison MA, Riley AL. Ethanol exposure during either adolescence or adulthood alters the rewarding effects of cocaine in adult rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2012; 101:458-64. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2012.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2011] [Revised: 02/06/2012] [Accepted: 02/08/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Davenport G, Midford R, Ramsden R, Cahill H, Venning L, Lester L, Murphy B, Pose M. Starting to drink: the experiences of Australian lower secondary students with alcohol. JOURNAL OF DRUG EDUCATION 2012; 42:87-98. [PMID: 22873015 DOI: 10.2190/de.42.1.e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
This study describes Australian year eight students' (13-14 years old) experiences with alcohol in terms of communication with parents, initiation into drinking, patterns of consumption, context of use, and harms experienced. The sample comprised 521 year eight students from four state government secondary schools in the state of Victoria. Three of the schools are in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria; the fourth is in a rural center. Female and rural students were more likely to talk to parents about alcohol, but this was not associated with safer drinking. Initiation into drinking was higher among rural students. Rural students also drank more, were more likely to drink without adult supervision, to drink to get drunk, and drink more than planned. Student drinkers experienced just over four alcohol-related harms on average in 12 months, with some indication of greater harm among rural students. Higher levels of drinking by rural students, accompanied by more risky patterns of consumption and the possibility of greater harm, supports prioritizing interventions in rural schools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian Davenport
- Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Edith Cowan University, WA, USA
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Semenova S. Attention, impulsivity, and cognitive flexibility in adult male rats exposed to ethanol binge during adolescence as measured in the five-choice serial reaction time task: the effects of task and ethanol challenges. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 219:433-42. [PMID: 21881872 PMCID: PMC4018242 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2458-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2011] [Accepted: 08/14/2011] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Alcohol abuse is prevalent in adolescent humans, but the long-term behavioral consequences of binge alcohol drinking are unknown. OBJECTIVES This study investigated the long-term effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure on attention and impulsivity. METHODS Adolescent male rats were exposed to 5 g/kg of 25% (v/w) ethanol every 8 h for 4 days. During adulthood, rats were tested in the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) assessing attention, impulsivity and cognitive flexibility. RESULTS There was no metabolic tolerance to ethanol in adolescent rats during AIE exposure. In the 5-CSRTT under baseline conditions, there were no differences between AIE-exposed and control rats in accuracy, omissions, or premature responses, although AIE-exposed rats tended to make more timeout responses than control rats. The short-duration stimulus challenge decreased accuracy and increased omissions and timeout responses in both AIE-exposed and control rats. The long intertrial interval challenge increased premature responses in all rats. An ethanol challenge decreased correct responses, and increased omissions in control, but not in AIE-exposed, rats. Control, but not AIE-exposed, rats exhibited decreased premature and timeout responses after ethanol administration. Response latencies were not affected in AIE-exposed or control rats indicating no sedative effects of ethanol challenge. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that ethanol binge exposure during adolescence has long-lasting neurobehavioral consequences, which persist into adulthood and can be revealed after re-exposure to ethanol. AIE-induced diminished responses to the disruptive effects of ethanol on attention, impulsivity and cognitive flexibility may lead to increased alcohol drinking and other maladaptive behaviors in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Semenova
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, M/C 0603, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA.
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Quoilin C, Didone V, Tirelli E, Quertemont E. Chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence alters the behavioral responsiveness to ethanol in adult mice. Behav Brain Res 2011; 229:1-9. [PMID: 22227505 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.12.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2011] [Revised: 12/22/2011] [Accepted: 12/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Alcohol exposure during early adolescence is believed to durably alter the behavioral properties of ethanol, increasing the likelihood of later alcohol-related disorders. The aim of the present experiments was to characterize changes in the behavioral effects of ethanol in adult female Swiss mice after a chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence, extending from postnatal day 28 to postnatal day 42. After a chronic ethanol exposure during adolescence (daily injections of 0, 2.5 or 4 g/kg ethanol for 14 consecutive days), adult mice were tested at postnatal day 63. The locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol, together with ethanol sensitization were tested in experiment 1. In experiment 2, the sedative effects of ethanol were assessed with the loss of righting reflex procedure. Finally, in experiment 3, the anxiolytic effects of ethanol were tested with the light/dark box test. Adult mice chronically exposed to ethanol during adolescence showed a lower basal locomotor activity, but higher locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol than non-exposed mice. Additionally, these adult mice developed higher rates of ethanol sensitization after chronic re-exposure to ethanol in adulthood. Adult mice exposed to ethanol during adolescence also had a stronger tolerance to the sedative effects of high ethanol doses, although they showed no evidence of changes in the anxiolytic effects of ethanol. These results are in agreement with the thesis that chronic alcohol consumption during adolescence, especially in high amounts, increases the risk of later alcohol-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Quoilin
- Département Psychologie, Cognition et Comportement, Université de Liège, Belgium
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Maurage P, Joassin F, Speth A, Modave J, Philippot P, Campanella S. Cerebral effects of binge drinking: respective influences of global alcohol intake and consumption pattern. Clin Neurophysiol 2011; 123:892-901. [PMID: 22055841 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2011] [Revised: 09/02/2011] [Accepted: 09/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Binge drinking is a major health concern, but its cerebral correlates are still largely unexplored. We aimed at exploring (1) the cognitive step at which these deficits appear and (2) the respective influence of global alcohol intake and specific binge-drinking consumption pattern on this deficit. METHODS On the basis of a screening phase (593 students), 80 participants were selected and distributed in four groups (control non-drinkers, daily drinkers, low and high binge drinkers). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while performing a simple visual oddball task. RESULTS Binge drinking was associated with massive ERP impairments, starting at the perceptive level (P100/N100 and N170/P2) and spreading through the attentional (N2b/P3a) and decisional (P3b) ones. Moreover, these deficits were linked with global alcohol intake and also with the specific binge-drinking consumption pattern. CONCLUSIONS Binge drinkers presented early and global ERP deficits, affecting basic and high-level cognitive stages. Moreover, we showed that binge drinking is deleterious for the brain because of alcohol consumption per se, and also because of its specific consumption pattern. SIGNIFICANCE The present results show that binge-drinking habits lead to striking brain consequences, particularly because of the repeated alternation between intense intoxications and withdrawal episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Maurage
- Neuroscience, Systems and Cognition (NEUROCS) and Health and Psychological Development (CSDP) Research Units, Institute of Psychology, Catholic University of Louvain, 10 Place C. Mercier, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.
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Fleming RL, Acheson SK, Moore SD, Wilson WA, Swartzwelder HS. In the rat, chronic intermittent ethanol exposure during adolescence alters the ethanol sensitivity of tonic inhibition in adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2011; 36:279-85. [PMID: 22014205 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2011.01615.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol drinking by adolescents is a major public health concern. Adolescents tend to drink in a chronic, intermittent, that is, "binge," pattern, and such patterns of ethanol exposure are associated with increased risk of neurotoxicity and the development of alcohol use disorders (Crews et al., 2000; Hunt, 1993). Both adolescent humans and rats are more sensitive to acute ethanol-induced memory impairment than adults (Acheson et al., 1998; Markwiese et al., 1998). Furthermore, in rats, chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure during adolescence produces a long-lasting, perhaps permanent, maintenance of the adolescent high sensitivity to ethanol's amnestic effects (White et al., 2000a). We have previously shown that acute ethanol increases tonic inhibitory current mediated by extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors more efficaciously in dentate granule cells (DGCs) from adolescent than adult rats (Fleming et al., 2007). In this study, we determined if CIE during adolescence produced long-lasting changes in this tonic current. METHODS Adolescent rats were subjected to a CIE exposure regimen and allowed to mature to full adulthood. Whole-cell voltage-clamp measurements of tonic inhibitory current and mean phasic current were made in vitro in hippocampal brain slices. RESULTS CIE exposure during adolescence increased the ethanol sensitivity of tonic inhibitory current mediated by extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors and decreased the ethanol sensitivity of phasic, synaptic GABA(A) receptor-mediated current in adult DGCs. CONCLUSIONS CIE exposure during adolescence produces long-lasting changes in the function and ethanol sensitivity of extrasynaptic GABA(A) receptors in DGCs. These changes appear to "lock-in" and maintain the high adolescent sensitivity to ethanol in these cells. Furthermore, greater ethanol enhancement of tonic inhibition in the hippocampal formation after CIE is consistent with the greater sensitivity to ethanol-induced memory impairment after adolescent CIE. This finding represents the first demonstration of a long-term, memory-related cellular effect of CIE during adolescence, and the "lock-in" of adolescent ethanol sensitivity that these results suggest could represent a conceptual step forward in understanding the vulnerability of the adolescent brain to alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah L Fleming
- Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705, USA.
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Ehlers CL, Criado JR, Wills DN, Liu W, Crews FT. Periadolescent ethanol exposure reduces adult forebrain ChAT+IR neurons: correlation with behavioral pathology. Neuroscience 2011; 199:333-45. [PMID: 22033458 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2011] [Revised: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 10/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Substance abuse typically begins in adolescence; therefore, the impact of alcohol during this critical time in brain development is of particular importance. Epidemiological data indicate that excessive alcohol consumption is prevalent among adolescents and may have lasting neurobehavioral consequences. Loss of cholinergic input to the forebrain has been demonstrated following fetal alcohol exposure and in adults with Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. In the present study, immunohistochemistry for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) was determined to assess forebrain cholinergic neurons (Ch1-4), and behavioral changes following periadolescent alcohol exposure. Wistar rats were exposed to intermittent ethanol vapor (14 h on/10 h off/day) for 35 days from postnatal day (PD) 22 to PD 57 (average blood alcohol concentration (BAC): 163 mg%). Rats were withdrawn from vapor and assessed for locomotor activity, startle response, conflict behavior in the open field, and immobility in the forced swim test, as adults. Rats were then sacrificed at day 71/72 and perfused for histochemical analyses. Ethanol vapor-exposed rats displayed: increased locomotor activity 8 h after the termination of vapor delivery for that 24 h period at day 10 and day 20 of alcohol vapor exposure, significant reductions in the amplitude of their responses to prepulse stimuli during the startle paradigm at 24 h withdrawal, and at 2 weeks following withdrawal, less anxiety-like and/or more "disinhibitory" behavior in the open field conflict, and more immobility in the forced swim test. Quantitative analyses of ChAT immunoreactivity revealed a significant reduction in cell counts in the Ch1-2 and Ch3-4 regions of the basal forebrain in ethanol vapor-exposed rats. This reduction in cell counts was significantly correlated with less anxiety-like and/or more "disinhibitory" behavior in the open field conflict test. These studies demonstrate that behavioral measures of arousal, affective state, disinhibitory behavior, and ChAT+IR, are all significantly impacted by periadolescent ethanol exposure and withdrawal in Wistar rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- C L Ehlers
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
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Effect of acute ethanol and acute allopregnanolone on spatial memory in adolescent and adult rats. Alcohol 2011; 45:473-83. [PMID: 21600728 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2010] [Revised: 02/17/2011] [Accepted: 03/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The effects of ethanol differ in adolescent and adult rats on a number of measures. The evidence of the effects of ethanol on spatial memory in adolescents and adults is equivocal. Whether adolescents are more or less sensitive to ethanol-induced impairment of spatial memory acquisition remains unclear; with regard to the effects of acute ethanol on spatial memory retrieval there is almost no research looking into any age difference. Thus, we examined the effects of acute ethanol on spatial memory in the Morris Watermaze in adolescents and adults. Allopregnanolone (ALLO) is a modulator of the GABA(A) receptor and has similar behavioral effects as ethanol. We sought to also determine the effects of allopreganolone on spatial memory in adolescent and adults. Male adolescent (post natal [PN]28-30) and adult (PN70-72) rats were trained in the Morris Watermaze for 6 days and acute doses of ethanol (saline, 1.5 and 2.0 g/kg) or ALLO (vehicle, 9 and 18 mg/kg) were administered on Day 7. A probe trial followed on Day 8. As expected, there were dose effects; higher doses of both ethanol and ALLO impaired spatial memory. However, in both the ethanol and ALLO conditions adolescents and adults had similar spatial memory impairments. The current results suggest that ethanol and ALLO both impair hippocampal-dependent spatial memory regardless of age in that once learning has occurred, ethanol or ALLO does not differentially impair the retrieval of spatial memory in adolescents and adults. Given the mixed results on the effect of ethanol on cognition in adolescent rats, additional research is needed to ascertain the factors critical for the reported differential results.
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Broadwater M, Varlinskaya EI, Spear LP. Different chronic ethanol exposure regimens in adolescent and adult male rats: effects on tolerance to ethanol-induced motor impairment. Behav Brain Res 2011; 225:358-62. [PMID: 21782854 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2011] [Revised: 06/24/2011] [Accepted: 07/06/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Findings are mixed regarding the expression of tolerance after repeated ethanol exposure, perhaps in part due to dose/frequency variations in exposure regimens. The present study compared age-related differences in tolerance development following 10 days of 1g/kg twice daily, 2g/kg once daily, or intermittent 4g/kg ethanol exposure regimens. To measure expression of chronic tolerance and acute tolerance, ethanol-induced motor impairment was assessed on day 12, with functionally equivalent ethanol doses administered across age (2g/kg - adolescents; 1.5g/kg - adults). Subsequent challenge doses resulted in lower brain ethanol concentrations in both age groups as a function of the chronic ethanol regimens. Expected age-related differences emerged in acute tolerance expression in non-manipulated animals, with adolescents, but not adults showing acute tolerance. Regimens sufficient to induce alterations in ethanol metabolism did not result in chronic functional tolerance at either age, although chronic injections were sufficient to induce acute tolerance in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Broadwater
- Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States
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50
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Adolescent alcohol exposure alters the central brain circuits known to regulate the stress response. Neuroscience 2011; 182:162-8. [PMID: 21382450 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Revised: 02/09/2011] [Accepted: 03/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol exposure (AAE) may exert long-term effects on the adult brain. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the brain regions affected include the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Specifically, we examined the consequences of AAE [postnatal days (PND) 28-42] on the HPA axis-related brain circuitry of male rats challenged with an intragastric (ig) administration of alcohol in young adulthood (PND 61-62). Adolescent rats were exposed to alcohol vapors, while controls did not receive the drug. The mean blood alcohol level in adolescence on PND 40 was 212.8±5.7 mg %. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization procedures, we measured signals for c-fos and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, as well as signals for c-fos and phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT) in the adrenergic brain stem regions (C1 and C2). PVN CRF mRNA expression was significantly blunted in AAE rats tested at PND 61-62, compared to their controls. These animals also displayed a significant increase in the mean number of PNMT-ir cells/brain stem section in the C2 area. Collectively, these results suggest that exposure to alcohol vapors during adolescence exerts long-term effects on the ability of the PVN to mount a response to an acute alcohol administration in young adulthood, possibly mediated by medullary catecholamine input to the PVN.
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