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Thompson SL, Gianessi CA, O'Malley SS, Cavallo DA, Shi JM, Tetrault JM, DeMartini KS, Gueorguieva R, Pittman B, Krystal JH, Taylor JR, Krishnan-Sarin S. Saracatinib Fails to Reduce Alcohol-Seeking and Consumption in Mice and Human Participants. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:709559. [PMID: 34531767 PMCID: PMC8438169 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.709559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
More effective treatments to reduce pathological alcohol drinking are needed. The glutamatergic system and the NMDA receptor (NMDAR), in particular, are implicated in behavioral and molecular consequences of chronic alcohol use, making the NMDAR a promising target for novel pharmacotherapeutics. Ethanol exposure upregulates Fyn, a protein tyrosine kinase that indirectly modulates NMDAR signaling by phosphorylating the NR2B subunit. The Src/Fyn kinase inhibitor saracatinib (AZD0530) reduces ethanol self-administration and enhances extinction of goal-directed ethanol-seeking in mice. However, less is known regarding how saracatinib affects habitual ethanol-seeking. Moreover, no prior studies have assessed the effects of Src/Fyn kinase inhibitors on alcohol-seeking or consumption in human participants. Here, we tested the effects of saracatinib on alcohol consumption and craving/seeking in two species, including the first trial of an Src/Fyn kinase inhibitor to reduce drinking in humans. Eighteen male C57BL/6NCrl mice underwent operant conditioning on a variable interval schedule to induce habitual responding for 10% ethanol/0.1% saccharin. Next, mice received 5 mg/kg saracatinib or vehicle 2 h or 30 min prior to contingency degradation to measure habitual responding. In the human study, 50 non-treatment seeking human participants who drank heavily and met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence were randomized to receive 125 mg/day saracatinib (n = 33) or placebo (n = 17). Alcohol Drinking Paradigms (ADP) were completed in a controlled research setting: before and after 7-8 days of treatment. Each ADP involved consumption of a priming drink of alcohol (0.03 mg%) followed by ad libitum access (3 h) to 12 additional drinks (0.015 g%); the number of drinks consumed and craving (Alcohol Urge Questionnaire) were recorded. In mice, saracatinib did not affect habitual ethanol seeking or consumption at either time point. In human participants, no significant effects of saracatinib on alcohol craving or consumption were identified. These results in mice and humans suggest that Fyn kinase inhibition using saracatinib, at the doses tested here, may not reduce alcohol consumption or craving/seeking among those habitually consuming alcohol, in contrast to reports of positive effects of saracatinib in individuals that seek ethanol in a goal-directed manner. Nevertheless, future studies should confirm these negative findings using additional doses and schedules of saracatinib administration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Summer L Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Carol A Gianessi
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, Yale University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Stephanie S O'Malley
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Dana A Cavallo
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Julia M Shi
- Program in Addiction Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jeanette M Tetrault
- Program in Addiction Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Kelly S DeMartini
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ralitza Gueorguieva
- Department of Biostatistics, Yale University School of Public Health, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Brian Pittman
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Jane R Taylor
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States.,Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
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d-Serine and d-Alanine Regulate Adaptive Foraging Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans via the NMDA Receptor. J Neurosci 2020; 40:7531-7544. [PMID: 32855271 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2358-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
d-Serine (d-Ser) is a coagonist for NMDA-type glutamate receptors and is thus important for higher brain function. d-Ser is synthesized by serine racemase and degraded by d-amino acid oxidase. However, the significance of these enzymes and the relevant functions of d-amino acids remain unclear. Here, we show that in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the serine racemase homolog SERR-1 and d-amino acid oxidase DAAO-1 control an adaptive foraging behavior. Similar to many organisms, C. elegans immediately initiates local search for food when transferred to a new environment. With prolonged food deprivation, the worms exhibit a long-range dispersal behavior as the adaptive foraging strategy. We found that serr-1 deletion mutants did not display this behavior, whereas daao-1 deletion mutants immediately engaged in long-range dispersal after food removal. A quantitative analysis of d-amino acids indicated that d-Ser and d-alanine (d-Ala) are both synthesized and suppressed during food deprivation. A behavioral pharmacological analysis showed that the long-range dispersal behavior requires NMDA receptor desensitization. Long-term pretreatment with d-Ala, as well as with an NMDA receptor agonist, expanded the area searched by wild-type worms immediately after food removal, whereas pretreatment with d-Ser did not. We propose that d-Ser and d-Ala are endogenous regulators that cooperatively induce the long-range dispersal behavior in C. elegans through actions on the NMDA receptor.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In mammals, d-serine (d-Ser) functions as an important neuromodulator of the NMDA-type glutamate receptor, which regulates higher brain functions. In Caenorhabditis elegans, previous studies failed to clearly define the physiological significance of d-Ser, d-alanine (d-Ala), and their metabolic enzymes. In this study, we found that these d-amino acids and their associated enzymes are active during food deprivation, leading to an adaptive foraging behavior. We also found that this behavior involved NMDA receptor desensitization.
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Jury NJ, Radke AK, Pati D, Kocharian A, Mishina M, Kash TL, Holmes A. NMDA receptor GluN2A subunit deletion protects against dependence-like ethanol drinking. Behav Brain Res 2018; 353:124-128. [PMID: 29953905 PMCID: PMC6092743 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.06.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Revised: 06/21/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is mechanistically involved in the behavioral and neurophysiological effects of alcohol, but the specific role of the GluN2A subunit remains unclear. Here, we exposed mice with constitutive GluN2A gene knockout (KO) to chronic intermittent ethanol vapor (CIE) and tested for EtOH consumption/preference using a two-bottle choice paradigm, as well as NMDAR-mediated transmission at basolateral amygdala synapses via ex vivo slice electrophysiology. Results showed that GluN2A KO mice attained comparable blood EtOH levels in response to CIE exposure, but did not exhibit the significant increase in EtOH drinking that was observed in CIE-exposed wildtypes. GluN2A KO mice also showed no alterations in BLA NMDAR-mediated synaptic transmission after CIE, relative to air-exposed, whereas C57BL/6 J mice showed an attenuated synaptic response to GluN2B antagonism. Taken together, these data add to mounting evidence supporting GluN2A-containing NMDARs as a mechanism underlying relative risk for developing EtOH dependence after repeated EtOH exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Anna K Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Dipanwita Pati
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Adrina Kocharian
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Masayoshi Mishina
- Brain Science Laboratory, The Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan
| | - Thomas L Kash
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Mouse strain differences in punished ethanol self-administration. Alcohol 2017; 58:83-92. [PMID: 27814928 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Revised: 02/05/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Determining the neural factors contributing to compulsive behaviors such as alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) has become a significant focus of current preclinical research. Comparison of phenotypic differences across genetically distinct mouse strains provides one approach to identify molecular and genetic factors contributing to compulsive-like behaviors. Here we examine a rodent assay for punished ethanol self-administration in four widely used inbred strains known to differ on ethanol-related behaviors: C57BL/6J (B6), DBA/2J (D2), 129S1/SvImJ (S1), and BALB/cJ (BALB). Mice were trained in an operant task (FR1) to reliably lever-press for 10% ethanol using a sucrose-fading procedure. Once trained, mice received a punishment session in which lever pressing resulted in alternating ethanol reward and footshock, followed by tests to probe the effects of punishment on ethanol self-administration. Results indicated significant strain differences in training performance and punished attenuation of ethanol self-administration. S1 and BALB showed robust attenuation of ethanol self-administration after punishment, whereas behavior in B6 was attenuated only when the punishment and probe tests were conducted in the same contexts. By contrast, D2 were insensitive to punishment regardless of context, despite receiving more shocks during punishment and exhibiting normal footshock reactivity. Additionally, B6, but not D2, reduced operant self-administration when ethanol was devalued with a bitter tastant. B6 and D2 showed devaluation of sucrose self-administration, and punished suppression of sucrose seeking was context dependent in both the strains. While previous studies have demonstrated avoidance of ethanol in D2, particularly when ethanol is orally available from a bottle, current findings suggest this strain may exhibit heightened compulsive-like self-administration of ethanol, although there are credible alternative explanations for the phenotype of this strain. In sum, these findings offer a foundation for future studies examining the neural and genetic factors underlying AUDs.
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Radke AK, Jury NJ, Delpire E, Nakazawa K, Holmes A. Reduced ethanol drinking following selective cortical interneuron deletion of the GluN2B NMDA receptors subunit. Alcohol 2017; 58:47-51. [PMID: 28109345 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2016.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2015] [Revised: 05/24/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
N-Methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) are involved in the regulation of alcohol drinking, but the contribution of NMDAR subunits located on specific neuronal populations remains incompletely understood. The current study examined the role of GluN2B-containing NMDARs expressed on cortical principal neurons and cortical interneurons in mouse ethanol drinking. Consumption of escalating concentrations of ethanol was measured in mice with GluN2B gene deletion in either cortical principal neurons (GluN2BCxNULL) or interneurons (GluN2BInterNULL), using a two-bottle choice paradigm. Results showed that GluN2BInterNULL, but not GluN2BCxNULL, mice consumed significantly less ethanol, at relatively high concentrations, than non-mutant controls. In a second paradigm in which mice were offered a 15% ethanol concentration, without escalation, GluN2BCxNULL mice were again no different from controls. These findings provide novel evidence for a contribution of interneuronal GluN2B-containing NMDARs in the regulation of ethanol drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna K Radke
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Eric Delpire
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kazu Nakazawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Kiselycznyk C, Jury NJ, Halladay LR, Nakazawa K, Mishina M, Sprengel R, Grant SGN, Svenningsson P, Holmes A. NMDA receptor subunits and associated signaling molecules mediating antidepressant-related effects of NMDA-GluN2B antagonism. Behav Brain Res 2015; 287:89-95. [PMID: 25800971 PMCID: PMC4425283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2014] [Revised: 03/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Drugs targeting the glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) may be efficacious for treating mood disorders, as exemplified by the rapid antidepressant effects produced by single administration of the NMDAR antagonist ketamine. Though the precise mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-related effects of NMDAR antagonism remain unclear, recent studies implicate specific NMDAR subunits, including GluN2A and GluN2B, as well as the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) subunit glutamate receptor interacting molecule, PSD-95. Here, integrating mutant and pharmacological in mice, we investigated the contribution of these subunits and molecules to antidepressant-related behaviors and the antidepressant-related effects of the GluN2B blocker, Ro 25-6981. We found that global deletion of GluA1 or PSD-95 reduced forced swim test (FST) immobility, mimicking the antidepressant-related effect produced by systemically administered Ro 25-6981 in C57BL/6J mice. Moreover, the FST antidepressant-like effects of systemic Ro 25-6981 were intact in mutants with global GluA1 deletion or GluN1 deletion in forebrain interneurons, but were absent in mutants constitutively lacking GluN2A or PSD-95. Next, we found that microinfusing Ro 25-6981 into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), but not basolateral amygdala, of C57BL/6J mice was sufficient to produce an antidepressant-like effect. Together, these findings extend and refine current understanding of the mechanisms mediating antidepressant-like effects produced by NMDAR-GluN2B antagonists, and may inform the development of a novel class of medications for treating depression that target the GluN2B subtype of NMDAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carly Kiselycznyk
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas J Jury
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Lindsay R Halladay
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kazu Nakazawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Masayoshi Mishina
- Brain Science Laboratory, The Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga, Japan
| | - Rolf Sprengel
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Seth G N Grant
- Genes to Cognition Program, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Per Svenningsson
- Laboratory of Translational Neuropharmacology, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Bethesda, MD, USA
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den Hartog CR, Beckley JT, Smothers TC, Lench DH, Holseberg ZL, Fedarovich H, Gilstrap MJ, Homanics GE, Woodward JJ. Alterations in ethanol-induced behaviors and consumption in knock-in mice expressing ethanol-resistant NMDA receptors. PLoS One 2013; 8:e80541. [PMID: 24244696 PMCID: PMC3828265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Accepted: 10/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Ethanol's action on the brain likely reflects altered function of key ion channels such as glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). In this study, we determined how expression of a mutant GluN1 subunit (F639A) that reduces ethanol inhibition of NMDARs affects ethanol-induced behaviors in mice. Mice homozygous for the F639A allele died prematurely while heterozygous knock-in mice grew and bred normally. Ethanol (44 mM; ∼0.2 g/dl) significantly inhibited NMDA-mediated EPSCs in wild-type mice but had little effect on responses in knock-in mice. Knock-in mice had normal expression of GluN1 and GluN2B protein across different brain regions and a small reduction in levels of GluN2A in medial prefrontal cortex. Ethanol (0.75-2.0 g/kg; i.p.) increased locomotor activity in wild-type mice but had no effect on knock-in mice while MK-801 enhanced activity to the same extent in both groups. Ethanol (2.0 g/kg) reduced rotarod performance equally in both groups but knock-in mice recovered faster following a higher dose (2.5 g/kg). In the elevated zero maze, knock-in mice had a blunted anxiolytic response to ethanol (1.25 g/kg) as compared to wild-type animals. No differences were noted between wild-type and knock-in mice for ethanol-induced loss of righting reflex, sleep time, hypothermia or ethanol metabolism. Knock-in mice consumed less ethanol than wild-type mice during daily limited-access sessions but drank more in an intermittent 24 h access paradigm with no change in taste reactivity or conditioned taste aversion. Overall, these data support the hypothesis that NMDA receptors are important in regulating a specific constellation of effects following exposure to ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina R. den Hartog
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Jacob T. Beckley
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Thetford C. Smothers
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel H. Lench
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Zack L. Holseberg
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Hleb Fedarovich
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Meghin J. Gilstrap
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Gregg E. Homanics
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology & Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - John J. Woodward
- Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Abstract
RATIONALE An increasingly compelling literature points to a major role for the glutamate system in mediating the effects of alcohol on behavior and the pathophysiology of alcoholism. Preclinical studies indicate that glutamate signaling mediates certain aspects of ethanol's intoxicating and rewarding effects, and undergoes adaptations following chronic alcohol exposure that may contribute to the withdrawal, craving and compulsive drug-seeking that drive alcohol abuse and alcoholism. OBJECTIVES We discuss the potential for targeting the glutamate system as a novel pharmacotherapeutic approach to treating alcohol use disorders, focusing on five major components of the glutamate system: the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor and specific NMDA subunits, the glycineB site on the NMDA receptors (NMDAR), L-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid ionotropic (AMPA) and kainate (KAR) receptors, metabotropic receptors (mGluR), and glutamate transporters. RESULTS Chronic alcohol abuse produces a hyperglutamatergic state, characterized by elevated extracellular glutamate and altered glutamate receptors and transporters. Pharmacologically manipulating glutamatergic neurotransmission alters alcohol-related behaviors including intoxication, withdrawal, and alcohol-seeking, in rodents and human subjects. Blocking NMDA and AMPA receptors reduces alcohol consumption in rodents, but side-effects may limit this as a therapeutic approach. Selectively targeting NMDA and AMPA receptor subunits (e.g., GluN2B, GluA3), or the NMDAR glycineB site offers an alternative approach. Blocking mGluR5 potently affects various alcohol-related behaviors in rodents, and mGluR2/3 agonism also suppresses alcohol consumption. Finally, glutamate transporter upregulation may mitigate behavioral and neurotoxic sequelae of excess glutamate caused by alcohol. CONCLUSIONS Despite the many challenges that remain, targeting the glutamate system offers genuine promise for developing new treatments for alcoholism.
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Debrouse L, Hurd B, Kiselycznyk C, Plitt A, Todaro A, Mishina M, Grant S, Camp M, Gunduz-Cinar O, Holmes A. Probing the modulation of acute ethanol intoxication by pharmacological manipulation of the NMDAR glycine co-agonist site. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2013; 37:223-33. [PMID: 22934986 PMCID: PMC3515721 DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2012.01922.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stimulating the glycine(B) binding site on the N-methyl-d-aspartate ionotropic glutamate receptor (NMDAR) has been proposed as a novel mechanism for modulating behavioral effects of ethanol (EtOH) that are mediated via the NMDAR, including acute intoxication. Here, we pharmacologically interrogated this hypothesis in mice. METHODS Effects of systemic injection of the glycine(B) agonist, d-serine, the GlyT-1 glycine transporter inhibitor, ALX-5407, and the glycine(B) antagonist, L-701,324, were tested for the effects on EtOH-induced ataxia, hypothermia, and loss of righting reflex (LORR) duration in C57BL/6J (B6) and 129S1/SvImJ (S1) inbred mice. Effects of the glycine(B) partial agonist, d-cycloserine (DCS), the GlyT-1 inhibitor, N-[3-(4'-fluorophenyl)-3-(4'-phenylphenoxy)propyl]sarcosine (NFPS), and the glycine(B) antagonist, 5,7-dichlorokynurenic (DCKA), on EtOH-induced LORR duration were also tested. Interaction effects on EtOH-induced LORR duration were examined via combined treatment with d-serine and ALX-5407, d-serine and MK-801, d-serine and L-701,324, as well as L-701,324 and ALX-5407, in B6 mice, and d-serine in GluN2A and PSD-95 knockout mice. The effect of dietary depletion of magnesium (Mg), an element that interacts with the glycine(B) site, was also tested. RESULTS Neither d-serine, DCS, ALX-5407, nor NFPS significantly affected EtOH intoxication on any of the measures or strains studied. L-701,324, but not DCKA, dose-dependently potentiated the ataxia-inducing effects of EtOH and increased EtOH-induced (but not pentobarbital-induced) LORR duration. d-serine did not have interactive effects on EtOH-induced LORR duration when combined with ALX-5407. The EtOH-potentiating effects of L-701,324, but not MK-801, on LORR duration were prevented by d-serine, but not ALX-5407. Mg depletion potentiated LORR duration in B6 mice and was lethal in a large proportion of S1 mice. CONCLUSIONS Glycine(B) site activation failed to produce the hypothesized reduction in EtOH intoxication across a range of measures and genetic strains, but blockade of the glycine(B) site potentiated EtOH intoxication. These data suggest endogenous activity at the glycine(B) opposes EtOH intoxication, but it may be difficult to pharmacologically augment this action, at least in nondependent subjects, perhaps because of physiological saturation of the glycine(B) site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Debrouse
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Benita Hurd
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Carly Kiselycznyk
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Aaron Plitt
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Alyssa Todaro
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Masayoshi Mishina
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology and Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seth Grant
- Genes to Cognition Programme, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences and Centre for Neuroregeneration, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Marguerite Camp
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ozge Gunduz-Cinar
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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Newman EL, Chu A, Bahamón B, Takahashi A, DeBold JF, Miczek KA. NMDA receptor antagonism: escalation of aggressive behavior in alcohol-drinking mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 224:167-77. [PMID: 22588250 PMCID: PMC3694321 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-012-2734-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE Memantine is a potential treatment for alcoholic patients, yet few studies investigate the effect of concurrent treatment with memantine and ethanol on aggression. We evaluated aggressive behavior following ethanol consumption and treatment with glutamatergic drugs to characterize interactions between these compounds. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to use rodent models of aggression to examine interactions between glutamatergic compounds and ethanol. MATERIALS AND METHODS Once male CFW mice reliably self-administered 1 g/kg ethanol or water, they were assessed for aggression in resident-intruder confrontations. Alternatively, aggression was evaluated following a social-instigation procedure. Animals were then injected with memantine, ketamine, neramexane, MTEP, or LY379268 before aggressive confrontations. Effects of the pharmacological manipulations on salient aggressive and non-aggressive behaviors were analyzed. RESULTS Moderate doses of memantine, neramexane, and MTEP interacted with ethanol to increase the frequency of attack bites while ketamine did not. The highest dose of LY379268, an mGluR(2/3) agonist, reduced both aggressive and non-aggressive behaviors after water and ethanol self-administration. Attack bites increased with social instigation and decreased with administration of high doses of MTEP and LY379268. Memantine and MTEP both reduced attack bite frequency in the instigation condition without reducing locomotor behavior. CONCLUSIONS Memantine and neramexane interacted with ethanol to heighten aggression. The binding characteristics of these compounds allow for 'partial trapping' by which some NMDARs are unblocked between depolarizations. We propose that this feature may contribute to the differential aggression-heightening interactions between these compounds and ethanol. MTEP also interacted with ethanol to escalate aggression, possibly through inhibition of mGluR(5) modulation of NMDARs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adam Chu
- Tufts University Psychology Dept, Medford, MA 02144
| | | | | | | | - Klaus A. Miczek
- Tufts University Psychology Dept, Medford, MA 02144,Tufts University Neuroscience Dept, Boston, MA 02111
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Holmes A, Fitzgerald PJ, MacPherson KP, DeBrouse L, Colacicco G, Flynn SM, Masneuf S, Pleil KE, Li C, Marcinkiewcz CA, Kash TL, Gunduz-Cinar O, Camp M. Chronic alcohol remodels prefrontal neurons and disrupts NMDAR-mediated fear extinction encoding. Nat Neurosci 2012; 15:1359-61. [PMID: 22941108 PMCID: PMC3471649 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2012] [Accepted: 08/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Alcoholism is frequently co-morbid with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but it is unclear how alcohol impacts neural circuits mediating recovery from trauma. We found that chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) impaired fear extinction and remodeled the dendritic arbor of medial prefrontal cortical (mPFC) neurons in mice. CIE impaired extinction encoding by infralimbic (IL) mPFC neurons in vivo, and functionally downregulated burst-mediating NMDA GluN1 receptors. These findings suggest alcohol may increase risk for trauma-related anxiety disorders by disrupting mPFC-mediated extinction of fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, US National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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12
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Ary AW, Cozzoli DK, Finn DA, Crabbe JC, Dehoff MH, Worley PF, Szumlinski KK. Ethanol up-regulates nucleus accumbens neuronal activity dependent pentraxin (Narp): implications for alcohol-induced behavioral plasticity. Alcohol 2012; 46:377-87. [PMID: 22444953 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2011] [Revised: 10/05/2011] [Accepted: 10/07/2011] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Neuronal activity dependent pentraxin (Narp) interacts with α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) glutamate receptors to facilitate excitatory synapse formation by aggregating them at established synapses. Alcohol is well-characterized to influence central glutamatergic transmission, including AMPA receptor function. Herein, we examined the influence of injected and ingested alcohol upon Narp protein expression, as well as basal Narp expression in mouse lines selectively bred for high blood alcohol concentrations under limited access conditions. Alcohol up-regulated accumbens Narp levels, concomitant with increases in levels of the GluR1 AMPA receptor subunit. However, accumbens Narp or GluR1 levels did not vary as a function of selectively bred genotype. We next employed a Narp knock-out (KO) strategy to begin to understand the behavioral relevance of alcohol-induced changes in protein expression in several assays of alcohol reward. Compared to wild-type mice, Narp KO animals: fail to escalate daily intake of high alcohol concentrations under free-access conditions; shift their preference away from high alcohol concentrations with repeated alcohol experience; exhibit a conditioned place-aversion in response to the repeated pairing of 3 g/kg alcohol with a distinct environment and fail to exhibit alcohol-induced locomotor hyperactivity following repeated alcohol treatment. Narp deletion did not influence the daily intake of either food or water, nor did it alter any aspect of spontaneous or alcohol-induced motor activity, including the development of tolerance to its motor-impairing effects with repeated treatment. Taken together, these data indicate that Narp induction, and presumably subsequent aggregation of AMPA receptors, may be important for neuroplasticity within limbic subcircuits mediating or maintaining the rewarding properties of alcohol.
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13
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Lockridge A, Romero G, Harrington J, Newland B, Gong Z, Cameron A, Yuan LL. Timing-dependent reduction in ethanol sedation and drinking preference by NMDA receptor co-agonist d-serine. Alcohol 2012; 46:389-400. [PMID: 22445805 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2011.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2011] [Revised: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 11/09/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
NMDA receptors become a major contributor to acute ethanol intoxication effects at high concentrations as ethanol binds to a unique site on the receptor and inhibits glutamatergic activity in multiple brain areas. Although a convincing body of literature exists on the ability of NMDA receptor antagonists to mimic and worsen cellular and behavioral ethanol effects, receptor agonists have been less well-studied. In addition to a primary agonist site for glutamate, the NMDA receptor contains a separate co-agonist site that responds to endogenous amino acids glycine and d-serine. d-serine is both selective for this co-agonist site and potent in boosting NMDA dependent activity even after systemic administration. In this study, we hypothesized that exogenous d-serine might ameliorate some acute ethanol behaviors by opposing NMDA receptor inhibition. We injected adult male C57 mice with a high concentration of d-serine at various time windows relative to ethanol administration and monitored sedation, motor coordination and voluntary ethanol drinking. d-serine (2.7 g/kg, ip) prolonged latency to a loss of righting reflex (LoRR) and shortened LoRR duration when given 15 min before ethanol (3 g/kg) but not when it was injected with or shortly after ethanol. Blood samples taken at sedative recovery and at fixed time intervals revealed no effect of d-serine on ethanol concentration but an ethanol-induced decrease in l-serine and glycine content was prevented by acute d-serine pre-administration. d-serine had no effect on ethanol-induced (2 g/kg) rotarod deficits in young adult animals but independently and interactively degraded motor performance in a subset of older mice. Finally, a week-long series of daily ip injections resulted in a 50% decrease in free choice ethanol preference for d-serine treated animals compared to saline-injected controls in a two-bottle choice experiment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Lockridge
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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14
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Möykkynen T, Korpi ER. Acute effects of ethanol on glutamate receptors. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2012; 111:4-13. [PMID: 22429661 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2012.00879.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2012] [Accepted: 03/08/2012] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Several studies have revealed that acute ethanol inhibits the function of glutamate receptors. Glutamate receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity, such as N-methyl-D-aspartate-dependent long-term potentiation, is also inhibited by ethanol. However, the inhibition seems to be restricted to certain brain areas such as the hippocampus, amygdala and striatum. Ethanol inhibition of glutamate receptors generally requires relatively high concentrations and may therefore explain consequences of severe ethanol intoxication such as impairment of motor performance and memory. Effects of ethanol on glutamate system of developing nervous system may have a role in causing foetal alcohol syndrome. Newly found regulatory proteins of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid AMPA receptors seem to affect ethanol inhibition thus opening new lines of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommi Möykkynen
- Institute of Biomedicine, Pharmacology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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15
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Petit-Paitel A, Ménard B, Guyon A, Béringue V, Nahon JL, Zsürger N, Chabry J. Prion protein is a key determinant of alcohol sensitivity through the modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activity. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34691. [PMID: 22536327 PMCID: PMC3335038 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2012] [Accepted: 03/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The prion protein (PrP) is absolutely required for the development of prion diseases; nevertheless, its physiological functions in the central nervous system remain elusive. Using a combination of behavioral, electrophysiological and biochemical approaches in transgenic mouse models, we provide strong evidence for a crucial role of PrP in alcohol sensitivity. Indeed, PrP knock out (PrP−/−) mice presented a greater sensitivity to the sedative effects of EtOH compared to wild-type (wt) control mice. Conversely, compared to wt mice, those over-expressing mouse, human or hamster PrP genes presented a relative insensitivity to ethanol-induced sedation. An acute tolerance (i.e. reversion) to ethanol inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitatory post-synaptic potentials in hippocampal slices developed slower in PrP−/− mice than in wt mice. We show that PrP is required to induce acute tolerance to ethanol by activating a Src-protein tyrosine kinase-dependent intracellular signaling pathway. In an attempt to decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying PrP-dependent ethanol effect, we looked for changes in lipid raft features in hippocampus of ethanol-treated wt mice compared to PrP−/− mice. Ethanol induced rapid and transient changes of buoyancy of lipid raft-associated proteins in hippocampus of wt but not PrP−/− mice suggesting a possible mechanistic link for PrP-dependent signal transduction. Together, our results reveal a hitherto unknown physiological role of PrP on the regulation of NMDAR activity and highlight its crucial role in synaptic functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnès Petit-Paitel
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
| | - Baptiste Ménard
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
| | - Alice Guyon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
| | - Vincent Béringue
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UR892, Virologie et Immunologie Moléculaires, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Louis Nahon
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
| | - Nicole Zsürger
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
| | - Joëlle Chabry
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Valbonne, France
- * E-mail:
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16
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Quantitative trait loci for sensitivity to ethanol intoxication in a C57BL/6J×129S1/SvImJ inbred mouse cross. Mamm Genome 2012; 23:305-21. [PMID: 22371272 PMCID: PMC3357470 DOI: 10.1007/s00335-012-9394-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Individual variation in sensitivity to acute ethanol (EtOH) challenge is associated with alcohol drinking and is a predictor of alcohol abuse. Previous studies have shown that the C57BL/6J (B6) and 129S1/SvImJ (S1) inbred mouse strains differ in responses on certain measures of acute EtOH intoxication. To gain insight into genetic factors contributing to these differences, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of measures of EtOH-induced ataxia (accelerating rotarod), hypothermia, and loss of righting reflex (LORR) duration in a B6 × S1 F2 population. We confirmed that S1 showed greater EtOH-induced hypothermia (specifically at a high dose) and longer LORR compared to B6. QTL analysis revealed several additive and interacting loci for various phenotypes, as well as examples of genotype interactions with sex. QTLs for different EtOH phenotypes were largely non-overlapping, suggesting separable genetic influences on these behaviors. The most compelling main-effect QTLs were for hypothermia on chromosome 16 and for LORR on chromosomes 4 and 6. Several QTLs overlapped with loci repeatedly linked to EtOH drinking in previous mouse studies. The architecture of the traits we examined was complex but clearly amenable to dissection in future studies. Using integrative genomics strategies, plausible functional and positional candidates may be found. Uncovering candidate genes associated with variation in these phenotypes in this population could ultimately shed light on genetic factors underlying sensitivity to EtOH intoxication and risk for alcoholism in humans.
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17
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Badanich KA, Doremus-Fitzwater TL, Mulholland PJ, Randall PK, Delpire E, Becker HC. NR2B-deficient mice are more sensitive to the locomotor stimulant and depressant effects of ethanol. GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR 2011; 10:805-816. [PMID: 21762461 DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183x.2011.00720.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The NR2B subunit of N-methyl d-aspartate glutamate receptors influences pharmacological properties and confers greater sensitivity to the modulatory effects of ethanol. This study examined behavioral responses to acute ethanol in a conditional knockout mouse model that allowed for a delayed genetic deletion of the NR2B subunit to avoid mouse lethality. Mice lacking the NR2B gene (knockout) were produced by mating NR2B[f/f] mice with CAMKIIa-driven tTA transgenic mice and the tetO-CRE transgenic mice. Adult male and female offspring representing each of the resultant genotypes (knockout, CAM, CRE and wildtype mice) were tested for open-field locomotor activity following acute low- and high-dose ethanol challenge as well as loss of righting reflex. Findings indicate that male and female mice lacking the NR2B subunit exhibited greater overall activity in comparison to other genotypes during the baseline locomotor activity test. NR2B knockout mice exhibited an exaggerated stimulant response to 1.5 g/kg (i.p.) and an exaggerated depressant response to 3.0 g/kg (i.p.) ethanol challenge. In addition, NR2B knockout mice slept longer following a high dose of ethanol (4.0 g/kg, i.p.). To evaluate pharmacokinetics, clearance rates of ethanol (1.5, 4.0 g/kg, i.p.) were measured and showed that female NR2B knockouts had a faster rate of metabolism only at the higher ethanol dose. Western blot analyses confirmed significant reduction in NR2B expression in the forebrain of knockout mice. Collectively, these data indicate that the NR2B subunit of the N-methyl d-aspartate glutamate receptor is involved in regulating low-dose stimulant effects of ethanol and the depressant/hypnotic effects of ethanol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Badanich
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Tamara L Doremus-Fitzwater
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Patrick J Mulholland
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Patrick K Randall
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425
| | - Eric Delpire
- Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - Howard C Becker
- Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425.,RHJ Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Charleston, SC 29425
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18
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Camp MC, Feyder M, Ihne J, Palachick B, Hurd B, Karlsson RM, Noronha B, Chen YC, Coba MP, Grant SGN, Holmes A. A novel role for PSD-95 in mediating ethanol intoxication, drinking and place preference. Addict Biol 2011; 16:428-39. [PMID: 21309945 PMCID: PMC3150485 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00282.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The synaptic signaling mechanisms mediating the behavioral effects of ethanol (EtOH) remain poorly understood. Post-synaptic density 95 (PSD-95, SAP-90, Dlg4) is a key orchestrator of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) and glutamatergic synapses, which are known to be major sites of EtOH's behavioral actions. However, the potential contribution of PSD-95 to EtOH-related behaviors has not been established. Here, we evaluated knockout (KO) mice lacking PSD-95 for multiple measures of sensitivity to the acute intoxicating effects of EtOH (ataxia, hypothermia, sedation/hypnosis), EtOH drinking under conditions of free access and following deprivation, acquisition and long-term retention of EtOH conditioned place preference (CPP) (and lithium chloride-induced conditioned taste aversion), and intoxication-potentiating responses to NMDAR antagonism. PSD-95 KO exhibited increased sensitivity to the sedative/hypnotic, but not ataxic or hypothermic, effects of acute EtOH relative to wild-type controls (WT). PSD-95 KO consumed less EtOH than WT, particularly at higher EtOH concentrations, although increases in KO drinking could be induced by concentration-fading and deprivation. PSD-95 KO showed normal EtOH CPP 1 day after conditioning, but showed significant aversion 2 weeks later. Lithium chloride-induced taste aversion was impaired in PSD-95 KO at both time points. Finally, the EtOH-potentiating effects of the NMDAR antagonist MK-801 were intact in PSD-95 KO at the dose tested. These data reveal a major, novel role for PSD-95 in mediating EtOH behaviors, and add to growing evidence that PSD-95 is a key mediator of the effects of multiple abused drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marguerite C Camp
- Section on Behavioral Science and Genetics, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism/NIH, 5625 Fishers Ln., Rockville, MD 20852-1798, USA.
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19
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Holmes A. Merger fever: can two separate mechanisms work together to explain why we drink? Biol Psychiatry 2011; 69:1015-6. [PMID: 21550435 PMCID: PMC3145200 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2011] [Accepted: 04/02/2011] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Holmes
- Section on Behavioral Science and Genetics, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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20
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Acosta G, Freidman DP, Grant KA, Hemby SE. Alternative splicing of AMPA subunits in prefrontal cortical fields of cynomolgus monkeys following chronic ethanol self-administration. Front Psychiatry 2011; 2:72. [PMID: 22291662 PMCID: PMC3249828 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2011] [Accepted: 11/26/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Functional impairment of the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex underlies deficits in executive control that characterize addictive disorders, including alcohol addiction. Previous studies indicate that alcohol alters glutamate neurotransmission and one substrate of these effects may be through the reconfiguration of the subunits constituting ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) complexes. Glutamatergic transmission is integral to cortico-cortical and cortico-subcortical communication and alcohol-induced changes in the abundance of the receptor subunits and/or their splice variants may result in critical functional impairments of prefrontal cortex in alcohol dependence. To this end, the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on glutamate receptor ionotropic AMPA (GRIA) subunit variant and kainate (GRIK) subunit mRNA expression were studied in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of male cynomolgus monkeys. In DLPFC, total AMPA splice variant expression and total kainate receptor subunit expression were significantly decreased in alcohol drinking monkeys. Expression levels of GRIA3 flip and flop and GRIA4 flop mRNAs in this region were positively correlated with daily ethanol intake and blood ethanol concentrations (BEC) averaged over the 6 months prior to necropsy. In OFC, AMPA subunit splice variant expression was reduced in the alcohol treated group. GRIA2 flop mRNA levels in this region were positively correlated with daily ethanol intake and BEC averaged over the 6 months prior to necropsy. Results from these studies provide further evidence of transcriptional regulation of iGluR subunits in the primate brain following chronic alcohol self-administration. Additional studies examining the cellular localization of such effects in the framework of primate prefrontal cortical circuitry are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glen Acosta
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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21
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Does gene deletion of AMPA GluA1 phenocopy features of schizoaffective disorder? Neurobiol Dis 2010; 40:608-21. [PMID: 20699120 PMCID: PMC2955784 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbd.2010.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2010] [Revised: 07/06/2010] [Accepted: 08/03/2010] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Glutamatergic dysfunction is strongly implicated in schizophrenia and
mood disorders. GluA1 knockout (KO) mice display schizophrenia- and
depression-related abnormalities. Here, we asked whether GluA1 KO show
mania-related abnormalities. KO were tested for behavior in approach/avoid
conflict tests, responses to repeated forced swim exposure, and locomotor
responses under stress and after psychostimulant treatment. The effects of rapid
dopamine depletion and treatment with lithium or GSK-3β inhibitor on KO
locomotor hyperactivity were tested. Results showed that KO exhibited novelty-
and stress-induced locomotor hyperactivity, reduced forced swim immobility and
alterations in approach/avoid conflict tests. Psychostimulant treatment and
dopamine depletion exacerbated KO locomotor hyperactivity. Lithium, but not
GSK-3β inhibitor, treatment normalized KO anxiety-related behavior and
partially reversed hyperlocomotor behavior, and also reversed elevated
prefrontal cortex levels of phospho-MARCKS and phospho-neuromodulin.
Collectively, these findings demonstrate mania-related abnormalities in GluA1 KO
and, combined with previous findings, suggest this mutant may provide a novel
model of features of schizoaffective disorder.
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22
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Witkiewitz K, Holmes A, Ray LA, Murphy JG, Richardson HN, Chen YC, McDevitt-Murphy ME, Cruz MT, Roberto M. Young Investigator Award symposium. Alcohol 2009; 43:499-508. [PMID: 19913193 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2009.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2009] [Revised: 05/18/2009] [Accepted: 06/21/2009] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This article highlights the research presented at the inaugural meeting of Alcoholism and Stress: A Framework for future Treatment Strategies. This meeting was held on May 6-8, 2008 in Volterra, Italy. It is an international meeting dedicated to developing preventive strategies and pharmacotherapeutic remedies for stress- and alcohol-related disorders. For the first time, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) conferred a Young Investigator Award to promote the work of young researchers and highlight their outstanding achievements in the fields of addiction medicine and stress disorders. The awardees were Dr. Katie Witkiewitz (University of Washington), Dr. Andrew Holmes (NIAAA), Dr. Lara A. Ray (Brown University), Dr. James Murphy (University of Memphis), and Dr. Heather Richardson (The Scripps Research Institute). The symposium was chaired by Drs. Fulton Crews and Antonio Noronha.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Witkiewitz
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
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23
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Chen YC, Holmes A. Effects of topiramate and other anti-glutamatergic drugs on the acute intoxicating actions of ethanol in mice: modulation by genetic strain and stress. Neuropsychopharmacology 2009; 34:1454-66. [PMID: 18843265 PMCID: PMC2669690 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2008.182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Compounds with anti-glutamatergic properties currently in clinical use for various indications (eg Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, psychosis, mood disorders) have potential utility as novel treatments for alcoholism. Enhanced sensitivity to certain acute intoxicating effects (ataxia, sedative) of alcohol may be one mechanism by which anti-glutamatergic drugs modulate alcohol use. We examined the effects of six compounds (memantine, dextromethorphan, haloperidol, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate) on sensitivity to acute intoxicating effects of ethanol (ataxia, hypothermia, sedation/hypnosis) in C57BL/6J mice. Analysis of topiramate was extended to determine the influence of genetic background (by comparison of the 129S1, BALB/cJ, C57BL/6J, DBA/2J inbred strains) and prior stress history (by chronic exposure of C57BL/6J to swim stress) on topiramate's effects on ethanol-induced sedation/hypnosis. Results showed that one N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, memantine, but not another, dextromethorphan, potentiated the ataxic but not hypothermic or sedative/hypnotic effects of ethanol. Haloperidol increased ethanol-induced ataxia and sedation/hypnosis to a similar extent as the prototypical NMDAR antagonist MK-801. Of the anticonvulsants tested, lamotrigine accentuated ethanol-induced sedation/hypnosis, whereas oxcarbazepine was without effect. Topiramate was without effect per se under baseline conditions in C57BL/6J, but had a synergistic effect with MK-801 on ethanol-induced sedation/hypnosis. Comparing inbred strains, topiramate was found to significantly potentiate ethanol's sedative/hypnotic effects in BALB/cJ, but not 129S1, C57BL/6J, or DBA/2J strains. Topiramate also increased ethanol-induced sedation/hypnosis in C57BL/6J after exposure to chronic stress exposure. Current data demonstrate that with the exception of MK-801 and haloperidol, the compounds tested had either no significant or assay-selective effects on sensitivity to acute ethanol under baseline conditions in C57BL/6J. However, significant effects of topiramate were revealed as a function of co-treatment with an NMDAR blocker, genetic background, or prior stress history. These findings raise the possibility that topiramate and possibly other anti-glutamatergic drugs could promote the acute intoxicating effects of ethanol in specific subpopulations defined by genetics or life history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Chyan Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Section on Behavioral Science and Genetics, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
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24
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Brigman JL, Ihne J, Saksida LM, Bussey TJ, Holmes A. Effects of Subchronic Phencyclidine (PCP) Treatment on Social Behaviors, and Operant Discrimination and Reversal Learning in C57BL/6J Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2009; 3:2. [PMID: 19255630 PMCID: PMC2649201 DOI: 10.3389/neuro.08.002.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2008] [Accepted: 01/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Subchronic treatment with the psychotomimetic phencyclidine (PCP) has been proposed as a rodent model of the negative and cognitive/executive symptoms of schizophrenia. There has, however, been a paucity of studies on this model in mice, despite the growing use of the mouse as a subject in genetic and molecular studies of schizophrenia. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of subchronic PCP treatment (5 mg/kg twice daily × 7 days, followed by 7 days withdrawal) in C57BL/6J mice on (1) social behaviors using a sociability/social novelty-preference paradigm, and (2) pairwise visual discrimination and reversal learning using a touchscreen-based operant system. Results showed that mice subchronically treated with PCP made more visits to (but did not spend more time with) a social stimulus relative to an inanimate one, and made more visits and spent more time investigating a novel social stimulus over a familiar one. Subchronic PCP treatment did not significantly affect behavior in either the discrimination or reversal learning tasks. These data encourage further analysis of the potential utility of mouse subchronic PCP treatment for modeling the social withdrawal component of schizophrenia. They also indicate that the treatment regimen employed was insufficient to impair our measures of discrimination and reversal learning in the C57BL/6J strain. Further work will be needed to identify alternative methods (e.g., repeated cycles of subchronic PCP treatment, use of different mouse strains) that reliably produce discrimination and/or reversal impairment, as well as other cognitive/executive measures that are sensitive to chronic PCP treatment in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L Brigman
- Section on Behavioral Science and Genetics, Laboratory for Integrative Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NIH Rockville, MD, USA.
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