Adolescent Mice Are Resilient to Alcohol Withdrawal-Induced Anxiety and Changes in Indices of Glutamate Function within the Nucleus Accumbens

Binge-drinking is the most prevalent form of alcohol abuse and while an early life history of binge-drinking is a significant risk factor for subsequent alcoholism and co-morbid affective disorders, relatively little is known regarding the biobehavioral impact of binge-drinking during the sensitive neurodevelopmental period of adolescence. In adult mice, a month-long history of binge-drinking elicits a hyper-glutamatergic state within the nucleus accumbens (Acb), coinciding with hyper-anxiety. Herein, we employed a murine model of binge-drinking to determine whether or not: (1) withdrawal-induced changes in brain and behavior differ between adult and adolescent bingers; and (2) increased behavioral signs of negative affect and changes in Acb expression of glutamate-related proteins would be apparent in adult mice with less chronic binge-drinking experience (14 days, approximating the duration of mouse adolescence). Adult and adolescent male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a 14-day binge-drinking protocol (5, 10, 20 and 40% alcohol (v/v) for 2 h/day), while age-matched controls received water. At 24 h withdrawal, half of the animals from each group were assayed for negative affect, while tissue was sampled from the shell (AcbSh) and core (AcbC) subregions of the remaining mice for immunoblotting analyses. Adult bingers exhibited hyper-anxiety when tested for defensive marble burying. Additionally, adult bingers showed increased mGlu1, mGlu5, and GluN2b expression in the AcbSh and PKCε and CAMKII in the AcbC. Compared to adults, adolescent mice exhibited higher alcohol intake and blood alcohol concentrations (BACs); however, adolescent bingers did not show increased anxiety in the marble-burying test. Furthermore, adolescent bingers also failed to exhibit the same alcohol-induced changes in mGlu and kinase protein expression seen in the adult bingers. Irrespective of age, bingers exhibited behavioral hyperactivity in the forced swim test (FST) compared to water drinkers, which was paralleled by an increase in AcbC levels of GluN2b. Thus, a 2-week period of binge-drinking is sufficient to produce a hyper-anxious state and related increases in protein indices of Acb glutamate function. In contrast, adolescents were resilient to many of the effects of early alcohol withdrawal and this attenuated sensitivity to the negative consequences of binge drinking may facilitate greater alcohol intake in adolescent drinkers.

Site-specific regulation of gene expression by estrogen in the hypothalamus of adult female rats

Estrogen plays critical roles in the neuroendocrine system of adult female rats through separate actions, respectively, in the preoptic area (POA) and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH). Seven-week-old rats were treated with/without estrogen after they were ovariectomized, and four estrogen-responsive, neuronal system-related genes, encoding alpha4 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (Chrna4), GABA(A) receptor delta (Gabrd), serotonin receptor 6 (Htr6), and GABA transporter 2 (Slc6a13), were investigated by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analyses to examine their differential regulation by estrogen between the anterior part containing POA and the posterior part containing VMH. We further examined Bax, Bcl2, and Prkce, the former two genes to be involved in the gene expression network of Chrna4 and the latter gene, that of Gabrd. The regulation of Bax and Bcl2 by estrogen differed between the anterior and posterior parts. The results demonstrated differential regulation of these neuronal system-related genes by estrogen between the anterior and posterior parts of the hypothalamus and suggested the roles of gene expression networks for the respective genes in the neuroendocrine system of adult female rats.

Unease on the role of glyoxalase 1 in high-anxiety-related behaviour

Overexpression and silencing of glyoxalase 1 (Glo1) in brains of mice and behavioural analyses have suggested a link between Glo1 and anxiety, making Glo1 a possible novel target for anxiolytic-drug development. However, this finding is discordant with others, and further research at metabolic level, particularly glycation of neuronal proteins by dicarbonyl substrates of Glo1, is required. Therefore, it remains to be established whether Glo1 is a risk marker or a risk factor of increased anxiety, how applicable the association between Glo1 and anxiety is and whether it can be translated into clinical diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Characterization of a new synthetic isoflavonoid with inverse agonist activity at the central benzodiazepine receptor

Research aimed at developing selective drugs acting on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors introduced compounds from diverse chemical classes unrelated to the 1,4-benzodiazepines, including flavonoids. These studies also revealed the potential use of inverse agonists as cognition-enhancing agents. Here we report pharmacological properties of the novel synthetic isoflavonoid 2-methoxy-3,8,9-trihydroxy coumestan (PCALC36). PCALC36 displaced [3H]flunitrazepam binding to rat brain synaptosomes with an IC50 of 13.8 microM. Scatchard analysis of the effect of PCALC36 showed a concentration-dependent reduction of the Bmax of [3H]flunitrazepam, without a marked change in Kd. This effect could be reversed by diluting and washing the preparation. Addition of 20-microM GABA shifted to the right the inhibition curve of PCALC36 on [3H]flunitrazepam binding (IC50 ratio of 0.68), which is characteristic for inverse agonists. PCALC36 produced little change in the GABAergic tonic currents recorded by whole-cell patch clamp in cultured rat hippocampal neurones, but it caused a 20% reduction in miniature inhibitory postsynaptic current amplitude and completely antagonised the full (direct) agonist midazolam in a quickly reversible manner. The data suggest that the coumestan backbone can be useful for developing novel ligands at the GABAA receptor.