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Crews FT, Macht V, Vetreno RP. Epigenetic regulation of microglia and neurons by proinflammatory signaling following adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure and in human AUD. ADVANCES IN DRUG AND ALCOHOL RESEARCH 2024; 4:12094. [PMID: 38524847 PMCID: PMC10957664 DOI: 10.3389/adar.2024.12094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol drinking is linked to high rates of adult alcohol problems and alcohol use disorder (AUD). The Neurobiology of Alcohol Drinking in Adulthood (NADIA) consortium adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) models adolescent binge drinking, followed by abstinent maturation to adulthood to determine the persistent AIE changes in neurobiology and behavior. AIE increases adult alcohol drinking and preference, increases anxiety and reward seeking, and disrupts sleep and cognition, all risks for AUD. In addition, AIE induces changes in neuroimmune gene expression in neurons and glia that alter neurocircuitry and behavior. HMGB1 is a unique neuroimmune signal released from neurons and glia by ethanol that activates multiple proinflammatory receptors, including Toll-like receptors (TLRs), that spread proinflammatory gene induction. HMGB1 expression is increased by AIE in rat brain and in post-mortem human AUD brain, where it correlates with lifetime alcohol consumption. HMGB1 activation of TLR increase TLR expression. Human AUD brain and rat brain following AIE show increases in multiple TLRs. Brain regional differences in neurotransmitters and cell types impact ethanol responses and neuroimmune gene induction. Microglia are monocyte-like cells that provide trophic and synaptic functions, that ethanol proinflammatory signals sensitize or "prime" during repeated drinking cycles, impacting neurocircuitry. Neurocircuits are differently impacted dependent upon neuronal-glial signaling. Acetylcholine is an anti-inflammatory neurotransmitter. AIE increases HMGB1-TLR4 signaling in forebrain, reducing cholinergic neurons by silencing multiple cholinergic defining genes through upregulation of RE-1 silencing factor (REST), a transcription inhibitor known to regulate neuronal differentiation. HMGB1 REST induction reduces cholinergic neurons in basal forebrain and cholinergic innervation of hippocampus. Adult brain hippocampal neurogenesis is regulated by a neurogenic niche formed from multiple cells. In vivo AIE and in vitro studies find ethanol increases HMGB1-TLR4 signaling and other proinflammatory signaling as well as reducing trophic factors, NGF, and BDNF, coincident with loss of the cholinergic synapse marker vChAT. These changes in gene expression-transcriptomes result in reduced adult neurogenesis. Excitingly, HMGB1 antagonists, anti-inflammatories, and epigenetic modifiers like histone deacetylase inhibitors restore trophic the neurogenesis. These findings suggest anti-inflammatory and epigenetic drugs should be considered for AUD therapy and may provide long-lasting reversal of psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T. Crews
- Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
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Seemiller LR, Flores-Cuadra J, Griffith KR, Smith GC, Crowley NA. Alcohol and stress exposure across the lifespan are key risk factors for Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline. Neurobiol Stress 2024; 29:100605. [PMID: 38268931 PMCID: PMC10806346 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2024.100605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD) are an increasing threat to global health initiatives. Efforts to prevent the development of ADRD require understanding behaviors that increase and decrease risk of neurodegeneration and cognitive decline, in addition to uncovering the underlying biological mechanisms behind these effects. Stress exposure and alcohol consumption have both been associated with increased risk for ADRD in human populations. However, our ability to understand causal mechanisms of ADRD requires substantial preclinical research. In this review, we summarize existing human and animal research investigating the connections between lifetime stress and alcohol exposures and ADRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel R. Seemiller
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Julio Flores-Cuadra
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Keith R. Griffith
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Grace C. Smith
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Nicole A. Crowley
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Huck Institute of the Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
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Crews FT, Coleman LG, Macht VA, Vetreno RP. Targeting Persistent Changes in Neuroimmune and Epigenetic Signaling in Adolescent Drinking to Treat Alcohol Use Disorder in Adulthood. Pharmacol Rev 2023; 75:380-396. [PMID: 36781218 PMCID: PMC9969522 DOI: 10.1124/pharmrev.122.000710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies universally find early age of drinking onset is linked to lifelong risks of alcohol problems and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Assessment of the lasting effect of drinking during adolescent development in humans is confounded by the diversity of environmental and genetic factors that affect adolescent development, including emerging personality disorders and progressive increases in drinking trajectories into adulthood. Preclinical studies using an adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure rat model of underage binge drinking avoid the human confounds and support lifelong changes that increase risks. AIE increases adult alcohol drinking, risky decision-making, reward-seeking, and anxiety as well as reductions in executive function that all increase risks for the development of an AUD. AIE causes persistent increases in brain neuroimmune signaling high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), Toll-like receptor, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and innate immune genes that are also found to be increased in human AUD brain. HMGB1 is released from cells by ethanol, both free and within extracellular vesicles, that act on neurons and glia, shifting transcription and cellular phenotype. AIE-induced decreases in adult hippocampal neurogenesis and loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons are reviewed as examples of persistent AIE-induced pathology. Both are prevented and reversed by anti-inflammatory and epigenetic drugs. Findings suggest AIE-increased HMGB1 signaling induces the RE-1 silencing transcript blunting cholinergic gene expression, shifting neuronal phenotype. Inhibition of HMGB1 neuroimmune signaling, histone methylation enzymes, and galantamine, the cholinesterase inhibitor, both prevent and reverse AIE pathology. These findings provide new targets that may reverse AUD neuropathology as well as other brain diseases linked to neuroimmune signaling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Adolescent underage binge drinking studies find that earlier adolescent drinking is associated with lifelong alcohol problems including high levels of lifetime alcohol use disorder (AUD). Preclinical studies find the underage binge drinking adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) model causes lasting changes in adults that increase risks of developing adult alcohol problems. Loss of hippocampal neurogenesis and loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons provide examples of how AIE-induced epigenetic and neuroimmune signaling provide novel therapeutic targets for adult AUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Leon G Coleman
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Victoria A Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies and Departments of Pharmacology and Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
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Nwachukwu KN, Healey KL, Swartzwelder HS, Marshall SA. The Influence of Sex on Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Neurotrophic Responses on the Persistent Effects of Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure into Adulthood. Neuroscience 2022; 506:68-79. [PMID: 36343720 PMCID: PMC9764262 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.10.028] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
In the United States, approximately 90% of alcohol consumed by adolescents is binge drinking. Binge-like ethanol exposure during adolescence promotes dysregulation of neurotrophic responses and neurogenesis in the hippocampus. These effects include changes in proliferation, regulation, differentiation, and maturation of neurons, and there is indication that such effects may be disproportionate between sexes. This study determined whether sex impacts neurotrophic responses and neurogenesis in adulthood after adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure. To determine this, adolescent rats underwent AIE with ethanol (5 g/kg). In adulthood, animals were euthanized, and immunohistochemical techniques and ELISAs were utilized to determine AIE effects on sex-specific neurogenesis factors and neurotrophic markers, respectively. AIE exposure led to a significant decrease in neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation indicated by reductions in the numbers of DCX+, SOX2+ and Ki-67+ cells in male and female AIE-exposed rats. Additionally, AIE increased markers for the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α and IL-1β, in the hippocampus into adulthood in male AIE-exposed rats only. No significant AIE-induced differences were observed in the anti-inflammatory cytokines, IL-10 and TGF-β, nor in the neurotrophic factors BDNF and GDNF. Altogether, our findings indicate that although AIE did not have a persistent effect on hippocampal neurotrophic levels, there was still a reduction in neurogenesis. The neurogenic impairment was not sex specific, but the neurogenic deficits in males may be attributed to an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. A persistent impairment in neurogenesis may have an impact on both behavioral maladaptations and neurodegeneration in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kala N Nwachukwu
- Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, United States; Integrated Biosciences PhD Program, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA
| | - Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708, United States
| | - S Alex Marshall
- Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, United States.
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Nwachukwu KN, King DM, Healey KL, Swartzwelder HS, Marshall SA. Sex-specific effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure-induced dysregulation of hippocampal glial cells in adulthood. Alcohol 2022; 100:31-39. [PMID: 35182671 PMCID: PMC8983575 DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol abuse is a significant public health concern, with approximately 4.3 million U.S. adolescents reporting monthly binge drinking. Excessive ethanol consumption during adolescence has been linked to dysregulation of the neuroimmune system, particularly in the hippocampus. Because there are sex differences in both neuroimmune responses and ethanol's pharmacologic actions, this study tested whether there were disparate effects based on sex in glial cells and neurodegeneration in adulthood after the adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) model. Male and female adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats underwent AIE. In adulthood, immunohistochemical techniques were utilized to determine the effects of AIE on astrocytes and microglia, and Fluoro-Jade C (FJC) was used to assess neurodegeneration in the hippocampus. AIE exposure significantly increased astrocyte activation in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), CA2/3, and dentate gyrus (DG) in both male and female rats with no discernible sex differences in immunoreactivity. Likewise, the number of GFAP + cells was significantly increased by AIE across the hippocampus. In our microglial assessment, AIE only led to increased Iba1 immunoreactivity in the CA1 but not CA2/3 or DG regions. However, the number of Iba1+ cells was increased by AIE in both the CA1 and DG subregions. In the DG, the ethanol effect was observed in both sexes, but in the CA1, AIE-induced increased Iba1 cells were only observed in females. In regard to neurodegeneration, there were no persisting AIE effects on FJC + cells. These findings indicate that AIE alters hippocampal glial cells in adulthood, in the absence of active neurodegeneration. However, while AIE induced long-term elevation of astroglial measures in both males and females, persisting AIE-induced microglial activation was more sparse and sex-dependent. While the majority of these findings suggest that AIE has similar effects on glial morphology and number between males and females, additional work should determine whether there are molecular differences as well as innate sex differences in glial interaction with AIE's influence on glial functions in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kala N Nwachukwu
- Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 27707, United States
| | - Dantae M King
- Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 27707, United States
| | - Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27708, United States
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27708, United States
| | - S Alex Marshall
- Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC, 27707, United States.
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Dannenhoffer CA, Gómez-A A, Macht VA, Jawad R, Sutherland EB, Vetreno RP, Crews FT, Boettiger CA, Robinson DL. Impact of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure on interneurons and their surrounding perineuronal nets in adulthood. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2022; 46:759-769. [PMID: 35307830 PMCID: PMC9117471 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Binge alcohol exposure during adolescence results in long-lasting alterations in the brain and behavior. For example, adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure in rodents results in long-term loss of functional connectivity among prefrontal cortex (PFC) and striatal regions as well as a variety of neurochemical, molecular, and epigenetic alterations. Interneurons in the PFC and striatum play critical roles in behavioral flexibility and functional connectivity. For example, parvalbumin (PV) interneurons are known to contribute to neural synchrony and cholinergic interneurons contribute to strategy selection. Furthermore, extracellular perineuronal nets (PNNs) that surround some interneurons, particularly PV+ interneurons, further regulate cellular plasticity. The effect of AIE exposure on the expression of these markers within the PFC is not well understood. METHODS The present study tested the hypothesis that AIE exposure reduces the expression of PV+ and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)+ interneurons in the adult PFC and striatum and increases the related expression of PNNs (marked by binding of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin lectin) in adulthood. Male rats were exposed to AIE (5 g/kg/day, 2-days-on/2-days-off, i.e., P25 to P54) or water (CON), and brain tissue was harvested in adulthood (>P80). Immunohistochemistry and co-immunofluorescence were used to assess the expression of ChAT, PV, and PNNs within the adult PFC and striatum following AIE exposure. RESULTS ChAT and PV interneuron densities in the striatum and PFC were unchanged after AIE exposure. However, PNN density in the PFC of AIE-exposed rats was greater than in CON rats. Moreover, significantly more PV neurons were surrounded by PNNs in AIE-exposed subjects than controls in both PFC subregions assessed: orbitofrontal cortex (CON = 34%; AIE = 40%) and medial PFC (CON = 10%; AIE = 14%). CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that, following AIE exposure, PV interneuron expression in the adult PFC and striatum is unaltered, while PNNs surrounding these neurons are increased. This increase in PNNs may restrict the plasticity of the ensheathed neurons, thereby contributing to impaired microcircuitry in frontostriatal connectivity and related behavioral impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol A Dannenhoffer
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Victoria A Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Rayyanoor Jawad
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elizabeth Blake Sutherland
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ryan P Vetreno
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Charlotte A Boettiger
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Biomedical Research Imaging Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Donita L Robinson
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.,Neuroscience Curriculum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Schipani-McLaughlin AM, Nielsen KE, Mosley EA, Leone RM, Oesterle DW, Orchowski LM, Davis KC, Gilmore AK. Alcohol use and alcohol-related consequences based on gender and sexual orientation among college students. Am J Addict 2022; 31:189-199. [PMID: 35385599 PMCID: PMC9117501 DOI: 10.1111/ajad.13283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Research has not yet investigated how the association between alcohol and alcohol-related consequences differs across cisgender heterosexual women (CHW), cisgender heterosexual men (CHM), and sexual and gender minority (SGM) college students. METHODS Participants were N = 754 college students (34.5% CHW [n = 260]; 34.5% CHM [n = 260]; 31.0% SGM [n = 234]) between the ages 18 and 25 who completed a survey on sexual orientation, gender identity, alcohol use (i.e., average drinks per week), and alcohol-related consequences. RESULTS Among individuals who reported alcohol use, CHM reported significantly more drinks per week compared to CHW and SGM. The logistic model of a zero-inflated negative binomial regression indicated that excess zeros in the alcohol-related consequences were more likely among (1) nondrinkers and (2) SGM compared to CHM. The count portion of the model indicated that, among drinkers, there was a positive association between drinks per week and alcohol-related consequences. Estimated alcohol-related consequences per drink were 1.90% higher among CHW than CHM and 2.76% higher among SGM than CHM. Exploratory analyses did not find significant differences in outcomes between cisgender female and male sexual minority students. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Findings suggest that although CHW and SGM students consume less alcohol than CHM, these students experience more alcohol-related consequences per drink. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE This study advances the field's knowledge of alcohol use patterns and consequences among SGM college students. There is a need for alcohol education programming that is tailored to the unique experiences, identities, and minority stressors of SGM college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Marie Schipani-McLaughlin
- Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Karen E Nielsen
- Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Mosley
- Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Ruschelle M Leone
- Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Daniel W Oesterle
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Illinois, USA
| | - Lindsay M Orchowski
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - Amanda K Gilmore
- Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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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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9
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Reitz NL, Nunes PT, Savage LM. Adolescent Binge-Type Ethanol Exposure in Rats Mirrors Age-Related Cognitive Decline by Suppressing Cholinergic Tone and Hippocampal Neurogenesis. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:772857. [PMID: 34744657 PMCID: PMC8569390 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.772857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Heavy alcohol consumption followed by periods of abstinence (i.e., binge drinking) during adolescence is a concern for both acute and chronic health issues. Persistent brain damage after adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure in rodents, a model of binge drinking, includes reduced hippocampal neurogenesis and a loss of neurons in the basal forebrain that express the cholinergic phenotype. The circuit formed between those regions, the septohippocampal pathway, is critical for learning and memory. Furthermore, this circuit is also altered during the aging process. Thus, we examined whether pathology in septohippocampal circuit and impairments in spatial behaviors are amplified during aging following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure. Female and male rats were exposed to intermittent intragastric gavage of water (control) or 20% ethanol (dose of 5 g/kg) for a 2 days on/off cycle from postnatal days 25-55. Either 2 (young adult) or 12-14 (middle-age) months post exposure, rats were tested on two spatial tasks: spontaneous alternation and novel object in place. Acetylcholine efflux was assessed in the hippocampus during both tasks. There was no adolescent ethanol-induced deficit on spontaneous alternation, but middle-aged male rats displayed lower alternation rates. Male rats exposed to ethanol during adolescence had blunted behavioral evoked acetylcholine during spontaneous alternation testing. All ethanol-exposed rats displayed suppression of the cholinergic neuronal phenotype. On the novel object in place task, regardless of sex, ethanol-exposed rats performed significantly worse than control-treated rats, and middle aged-rats, regardless of sex or ethanol exposure, were significantly impaired relative to young adult rats. These results indicate that male rats display earlier age-related cognitive impairment on a working memory task. Furthermore, male rats exposed to ethanol during adolescence have blunted behavior-evoked hippocampal acetylcholine efflux. In addition, middle-aged and ethanol-exposed rats, regardless of sex, are impaired at determining discrete spatial relationship between objects. This type of pattern separation impairment was associated with a loss of neurogenesis. Thus, binge-type adolescent ethanol exposure does affect the septohippocampal circuit, and can accelerate age-related cognitive impairment on select spatial tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lisa M. Savage
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University – State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, United States
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10
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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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11
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Hauser SR, Rodd ZA, Deehan GA, Liang T, Rahman S, Bell RL. Effects of adolescent substance use disorders on central cholinergic function. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:175-221. [PMID: 34696873 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood, in which the individual undergoes significant cognitive, behavioral, physical, emotional, and social developmental changes. During this period, adolescents engage in experimentation and risky behaviors such as licit and illicit drug use. Adolescents' high vulnerability to abuse drugs and natural reinforcers leads to greater risk for developing substance use disorders (SUDs) during adulthood. Accumulating evidence indicates that the use and abuse of licit and illicit drugs during adolescence and emerging adulthood can disrupt the cholinergic system and its processes. This review will focus on the effects of peri-adolescent nicotine and/or alcohol use, or exposure, on the cholinergic system during adulthood from preclinical and clinical studies. This review further explores potential cholinergic agents and pharmacological manipulations to counteract peri-adolescent nicotine and/or alcohol abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- S R Hauser
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
| | - Z A Rodd
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - G A Deehan
- Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, United States
| | - T Liang
- Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Shafiqur Rahman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, United States
| | - Richard L Bell
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Paul and Carole Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States.
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12
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Walker CD, Kuhn CM, Risher ML. The effects of peri-adolescent alcohol use on the developing hippocampus. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 160:251-280. [PMID: 34696875 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a period of continued brain development. Regions of the brain, such as the hippocampus, continue to undergo refinement and maturation throughout adolescence and into early adulthood. Adolescence is also a time of heightened sensitivity to novelty and reward, which contribute to an increase in risk-taking behaviors including the use of drugs and alcohol. Importantly, binge drinking is highly prevalent among adolescents and emerging adults. The hippocampus which is important for the integration of emotion, reward, homeostasis, and memory is particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol. In this chapter, we cover the fundamentals of hippocampal neuroanatomy and the current state of knowledge of the acute and chronic effects of ethanol in adolescent humans and adolescent rodent models. We focus on the hippocampal-dependent behavioral, structural, and neurochemical changes and identify knowledge gaps in our understanding of age-dependent neurobiological effects of alcohol use.
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Affiliation(s)
- C D Walker
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C Edwards School of Medicine Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States
| | - Cynthia M Kuhn
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| | - M-L Risher
- Department of Biomedical Research, Joan C Edwards School of Medicine Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States; Neurobiology Research Laboratory, Hershel Woody Williams Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Huntington, WV, United States.
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13
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Araujo I, Henriksen A, Gamsby J, Gulick D. Impact of Alcohol Abuse on Susceptibility to Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:643273. [PMID: 34179073 PMCID: PMC8220155 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.643273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the prevalence and well-recognized adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and alcohol use disorder in the causation of numerous diseases, their potential roles in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases remain poorly characterized. This is especially true of the rare neurodegenerative diseases, for which small population sizes make it difficult to conduct broad studies of specific etiological factors. Nonetheless, alcohol has potent and long-lasting effects on neurodegenerative substrates, at both the cellular and systems levels. This review highlights the general effects of alcohol in the brain that contribute to neurodegeneration across diseases, and then focuses on specific diseases in which alcohol exposure is likely to play a major role. These specific diseases include dementias (alcohol-induced, frontotemporal, and Korsakoff syndrome), ataxias (cerebellar and frontal), and Niemann-Pick disease (primarily a Type B variant and Type C). We conclude that there is ample evidence to support a role of alcohol abuse in the etiology of these diseases, but more work is needed to identify the primary mechanisms of alcohol's effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iskra Araujo
- Gulick Laboratory, Byrd Neuroscience Institute, University of South Florida Health, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Amy Henriksen
- Gulick Laboratory, Byrd Neuroscience Institute, University of South Florida Health, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Joshua Gamsby
- Gulick Laboratory, Byrd Neuroscience Institute, University of South Florida Health, Tampa, FL, United States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South FL, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Danielle Gulick
- Gulick Laboratory, Byrd Neuroscience Institute, University of South Florida Health, Tampa, FL, United States
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South FL, Tampa, FL, United States
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14
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Effects of vapourized THC and voluntary alcohol drinking during adolescence on cognition, reward, and anxiety-like behaviours in rats. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 106:110141. [PMID: 33069816 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis and alcohol co-use is prevalent in adolescence, but the long-term behavioural effects of this co-use remain largely unexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of adolescent alcohol and Δ9-tetrahydracannabinol (THC) vapour co-exposure on cognitive- and reward-related behaviours. Male Sprague-Dawley rats received vapourized THC (10 mg vapourized THC/four adolescent rats) or vehicle every other day (from post-natal day (PND) 28-42) and had continuous voluntary access to ethanol (10% volume/volume) in adolescence. Alcohol intake was measured during the exposure period to assess the acute effects of THC on alcohol consumption. In adulthood (PND 56+), rats underwent behavioural testing. Adolescent rats showed higher alcohol preference, assessed using the two-bottle choice test, on days on which they were not exposed to THC vapour. In adulthood, rats that drank alcohol as adolescents exhibited short-term memory deficits and showed decreased alcohol preference; on the other hand, rats exposed to THC vapour showed learning impairments in the delay-discounting task. Vapourized THC, alcohol or their combination had no effect on anxiety-like behaviours in adulthood. Our results show that although adolescent THC exposure acutely affects alcohol drinking, adolescent alcohol and cannabis co-use may not produce long-term additive effects.
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Ceci FM, Ferraguti G, Petrella C, Greco A, Ralli M, Iannitelli A, Carito V, Tirassa P, Chaldakov GN, Messina MP, Ceccanti M, Fiore M. Nerve Growth Factor in Alcohol Use Disorders. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 19:45-60. [PMID: 32348226 PMCID: PMC7903493 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x18666200429003239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The nerve growth factor (NGF) belongs to the family of neurotrophic factors. Initially discovered as a signaling molecule involved in the survival, protection, differentiation, and proliferation of sympathetic and peripheral sensory neurons, it also participates in the regulation of the immune system and endocrine system. NGF biological activity is due to the binding of two classes of receptors: the tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) and the low-affinity NGF pan-neurotrophin receptor p75. Alcohol Use Disorders (AUD) are one of the most frequent mental disorders in developed countries, characterized by heavy drinking, despite the negative effects of alcohol on brain development and cognitive functions that cause individual’s work, medical, legal, educational, and social life problems. In addition, alcohol consumption during pregnancy disrupts the development of the fetal brain causing a wide range of neurobehavioral outcomes collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The rationale of this review is to describe crucial findings on the role of NGF in humans and animals, when exposed to prenatal, chronic alcohol consumption, and on binge drinking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flavio Maria Ceci
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Italy
| | - Giampiero Ferraguti
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Italy
| | - Carla Petrella
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Greco
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Ralli
- Department of Sense Organs, Sapienza University Hospital of Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Iannitelli
- Department of Biotechnology and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Valentina Carito
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Paola Tirassa
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - George N Chaldakov
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Medical University, Varna, Bulgaria
| | | | - Mauro Ceccanti
- Centro Riferimento Alcologico Regione Lazio, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Fiore
- Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Section of Neurobiology, National Research Council (IBBC-CNR), Rome, Italy
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Healey KL, Kibble S, Bell A, Hodges S, Swartzwelder HS. Effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol on hippocampal expression of glutamate homeostasis and astrocyte-neuronal tethering proteins in male and female rats. J Neurosci Res 2020; 99:1908-1921. [PMID: 33217775 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 10/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol drinking is widely recognized as a significant public health problem, and evidence is accumulating that sufficient levels of consumption during this critical period of brain development have an enduring impact on neural and behavioral function. Recent studies have indicated that adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure alters astrocyte function, astrocyte-neuronal interactions, and related synaptic regulation and activity. However, few of those studies have included female animals, and a broader assessment of AIE effects on the proteins mediating astrocyte-mediated glutamate dynamics and synaptic function is needed. We measured synaptic membrane expression of several such proteins in the dorsal and ventral regions of the hippocampal formation (DH, VH) from male and female rats exposed to AIE or adolescent intermittent water. In the DH, AIE caused elevated expression of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) in both males and females, elevated postsynaptic density 95 expression in females only, and diminished NMDA receptor subunit 2A expression in males only. AIE and sex interactively altered ephrin receptor A4 (EphA4) expression in the DH. In the VH, AIE elevated expression of the cystine/glutamate antiporter and the glutamate aspartate transporter 1 (GLAST) in males only. Compared to males, female animals expressed lower levels of GLT-1 in the DH and greater levels of ephrin receptor B6 (EphB6) in the VH, in the absence of AIE effects. These results support the growing literature indicating that adolescent alcohol exposure produces long-lasting effects on astrocyte function and astrocyte-neuronal interactions. The sex and subregion specificity of these effects have mechanistic implications for our understanding of AIE effects generally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sandra Kibble
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Amelia Bell
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Sierra Hodges
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
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Bertrand C, Deschamps C, Rabiant K, Peineau S, Antol J, Martinetti M, Naassila M, Vilpoux C, Pierrefiche O. Patch-Clamp Recording of Low Frequency Stimulation-induced Long-Term Synaptic Depression in Rat Hippocampus Slices During Early and Late Neurodevelopment. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 45:351-364. [PMID: 33196109 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14516] [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: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studying synaptic plasticity in the rat hippocampus slice is a well-established way to analyze cellular mechanisms related to learning and memory. Different modes of recording can be used, such as extracellular field excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) and diverse patch-clamp methods. However, most studies using these methods have examined only up to the juvenile stage of brain maturation, which is known to terminate during late adolescence/early adulthood. Moreover, several animal models of human diseases have been developed at this late stage of brain development. To study the vulnerability of adolescent rat to the cognitive impairment of alcohol, we developed a model of binge-like exposure in which ethanol selectively abolishes low frequency stimulation (LFS)-induced, field EPSP long-term depression (LTD) in the rat hippocampus slice. METHODS In the present study, we sought to use whole-cell patch-clamp recording in the voltage-clamp mode to further investigate the mechanisms involved in the abolition of LFS-induced LTD in our model of binge-like exposure in adolescent rat hippocampus slices. In addition, we investigated LFS-induced NMDAR-LTD and mGluR-LTD at different ages and changed several parameters to improve the recordings. RESULTS Using patch-clamp recording, LFS-induced NMDAR-LTD and mGluR-LTD could be measured until 4 weeks of age, but not in older animals. Similarly, chemical mGluR-LTD and a combined LFS-LTD involving both N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor (NMDAR) and mGluR were not measured in older animals. The absence of LFS-LTD was not due to the loss of a diffusible intracellular agent nor the voltage mode of recording or intracellular blockade of either sodium or potassium currents. In contrast to voltage-clamp recordings, LFS-induced LTD tested with field recordings was measured at all ages and the effects of EtOH were visible in all cases. CONCLUSIONS We concluded that whole-cell patch-clamp recordings are not suitable for studying synaptic LFS-induced LTD in rats older than 4 weeks of age and therefore cannot be used to explore electrophysiological disturbances, such as those induced by alcohol binge drinking during adolescence, which constitutes a late period of brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cédric Bertrand
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Chloé Deschamps
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Kevin Rabiant
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Stéphane Peineau
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Johann Antol
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | | | - Mickael Naassila
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Catherine Vilpoux
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
| | - Olivier Pierrefiche
- UMR1247 INSERM, Groupe de Recherche sur l'Alcool et les Pharmacodépendances, Centre Universitaire de Recherche en Santé, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France
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18
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Macht V, Elchert N, Crews F. Adolescent Alcohol Exposure Produces Protracted Cognitive-Behavioral Impairments in Adult Male and Female Rats. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10110785. [PMID: 33126417 PMCID: PMC7692738 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10110785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Binge drinking is common in adolescence. Rodent studies modeling adolescent binge drinking find persistent effects on the brain's physiology, including increased expression of neuroimmune genes, impaired neurogenesis, and changes in behavioral flexibility. This study used females and males to investigate the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) on a battery of behaviors assessing spatial navigation using a radial arm water maze, working memory using the Hebb-Williams maze, non-spatial long-term memory using novel object recognition, and dominance using a tube dominance test. Results indicate that AIE impairs adult acquisition in spatial navigational learning with deficits predominantly driven by females. Surprisingly, AIE slowed the transition from random to serial search strategies in both sexes, suggesting AIE impairs flexibility in problem-solving processing. In the Hebb-Williams maze working memory task, adult AIE rats exhibited deficits in problem solving, resulting in more errors across the 12 maze configurations, independent of sex. Conversely, AIE decreased dominance behaviors in female rats, and at 7 months post-alcohol, female AIE rats continued to exhibit deficits in novel object recognition. These results suggest that cognitive-behavioral alterations after adolescent binge drinking persist well into middle age, despite abstinence. Future studies should focus on intervening treatment strategies in both females and males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Macht
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (V.M.); (N.E.)
| | - Natalie Elchert
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (V.M.); (N.E.)
| | - Fulton Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; (V.M.); (N.E.)
- Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-919-966-5678
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19
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Hadidi Zavareh AH, Haji Khani R, Pakpour B, Soheili M, Salami M. Probiotic treatment differentially affects the behavioral and electrophysiological aspects in ethanol exposed animals. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES 2020; 23:776-780. [PMID: 32695294 PMCID: PMC7351434 DOI: 10.22038/ijbms.2020.41685.9846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Harmful effects of alcohol on brain function including cognitive phenomena are well known. Damage to gut microbiota is linked to neurological disorders. Evidence indicates that intestinal flora can be strengthened by probiotic bacteria. In this study, we evaluated the effect of probiotics administration on LTP induction in rats receiving ethanol. MATERIALS AND METHODS To assess if probiotic treatment influences toxic effect of ethanol, vehicle (CON) and probiotic treated (CON+PRO) control rats, and chronic ethanol (CE) exposed and CE probiotic treated (CE+PRO) animals were entered into the experiments. Shuttle box test and in vivo electrophysiological recordings were accomplished to evaluate memory and hippocampal baseline filed excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) and long term potentiation (LTP), respectively. RESULTS Ethanol impaired memory in the CE rats. It also diminished the slope size of fEPSPs and prevented LTP induction. While the probiotic supplementation improved memory in the CE+PRO rats, it did not influence synaptic transmission in these animals. CONCLUSION Conclusively, behavioral but not electrophysiological aspect of cognition is sensitive to probiotic treatment in the ethanol exposed animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ramin Haji Khani
- Department of Biology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Bahareh Pakpour
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Masoud Soheili
- Physiology Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of medical sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Mahmoud Salami
- Physiology Research Center, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of medical sciences, Kashan, Iran
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20
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Seemiller LR, Gould TJ. The effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on learning and related neurobiology in humans and rodents. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 172:107234. [PMID: 32428585 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use is a widespread problem in the United States. In both humans and rodents, alcohol can impair learning and memory processes mediated by forebrain areas such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HC). Adolescence is a period in which alcohol use often begins, and it is also a time that can be uniquely sensitive to the detrimental effects of alcohol. Exposure to alcohol during adolescence can cause persisting alterations in PFC and HC neurobiology that are linked to cognitive impairments, including changes in neurogenesis, inflammation, and various neurotransmitter systems in rodent models. Consistent with this, chronic adolescent alcohol exposure can cause PFC-dependent learning impairments that persist into adulthood. Deficits in adult HC-dependent learning after adolescent alcohol exposure have also been reported, but these findings are less consistent. Overall, evidence summarized in this review indicates that adolescent exposure to alcohol can produce long-term detrimental effects on forebrain-dependent cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel R Seemiller
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Thomas J Gould
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
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21
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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: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.5] [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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22
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McCool BA, McGinnis MM. Adolescent Vulnerability to Alcohol Use Disorder: Neurophysiological Mechanisms from Preclinical Studies. Handb Exp Pharmacol 2020; 258:421-442. [PMID: 31595414 DOI: 10.1007/164_2019_296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use in human populations dramatically increases the likelihood of adult alcohol use disorder. This adolescent vulnerability is recapitulated in preclinical models which provide important opportunities to understand basic neurobiological mechanisms. We provide here an overview of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission and our current understanding of the sensitivity of these systems to adolescent ethanol exposure. As a whole, the preclinical literature suggests that adolescent vulnerability may be directly related to region-specific neurobiological processes that continue to develop during adolescence. These processes include the activity of intrinsic circuits within diverse brain regions (primarily represented by GABAergic neurotransmission) and activity-dependent regulation of synaptic strength at glutamatergic synapses. Furthermore, GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission within regions/circuits that regulate cognitive function, emotion, and their integration appears to be the most vulnerable to adolescent ethanol exposure. Finally, using documented behavioral differences between adolescents and adults with respect to acute ethanol, we highlight additional circuits and regions for future study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A McCool
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
| | - Molly M McGinnis
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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23
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Thorpe HHA, Hamidullah S, Jenkins BW, Khokhar JY. Adolescent neurodevelopment and substance use: Receptor expression and behavioral consequences. Pharmacol Ther 2019; 206:107431. [PMID: 31706976 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2019.107431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood, during which extensive brain development occurs. Since this period also overlaps with the initiation of drug use, it is important to consider how substance use during this time might produce long-term neurobiological alterations, especially against the backdrop of developmental changes in neurotransmission. Alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and opioids all produce marked changes in the expression and function of the neurotransmitter and receptor systems with which they interact. These acute and chronic alterations also contribute to behavioral consequences ranging from increased addiction risk to cognitive or neuropsychiatric behavioral dysfunctions. The current review provides an in-depth overview and update of the developmental changes in neurotransmission during adolescence, as well as the impact of drug exposure during this neurodevelopmental window. While most of these factors have been studied in animal models, which are the focus of this review, future longitudinal studies in humans that assess neural function and behavior will help to confirm pre-clinical findings. Furthermore, the neural changes induced by each drug should also be considered in the context of other contributing factors, such as sex. Further understanding of these consequences can help in the identification of novel approaches for preventing and reversing the neurobiological effects of adolescent substance use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley H A Thorpe
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Shahnaza Hamidullah
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bryan W Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jibran Y Khokhar
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Nunes PT, Kipp BT, Reitz NL, Savage LM. Aging with alcohol-related brain damage: Critical brain circuits associated with cognitive dysfunction. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2019; 148:101-168. [PMID: 31733663 PMCID: PMC7372724 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Alcoholism is associated with brain damage and impaired cognitive functioning. The relative contributions of different etiological factors, such as alcohol, thiamine deficiency and age vulnerability, to the development of alcohol-related neuropathology and cognitive impairment are still poorly understood. One reason for this quandary is that both alcohol toxicity and thiamine deficiency produce brain damage and cognitive problems that can be modulated by age at exposure, aging following alcohol toxicity or thiamine deficiency, and aging during chronic alcohol exposure. Pre-clinical models of alcohol-related brain damage (ARBD) have elucidated some of the contributions of ethanol toxicity and thiamine deficiency to neuroinflammation, neuronal loss and functional deficits. However, the critical variable of age at the time of exposure or long-term aging with ARBD has been relatively ignored. Acute thiamine deficiency created a massive increase in neuroimmune genes and proteins within the thalamus and significant increases within the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Chronic ethanol treatment throughout adulthood produced very minor fluctuations in neuroimmune genes, regardless of brain region. Intermittent "binge-type" ethanol during the adolescent period established an intermediate neuroinflammatory response in the hippocampus and frontal cortex, that can persist into adulthood. Chronic excessive drinking throughout adulthood, adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure, and thiamine deficiency all led to a loss of the cholinergic neuronal phenotype within the basal forebrain, reduced hippocampal neurogenesis, and alterations in the frontal cortex. Only thiamine deficiency results in gross pathological lesions of the thalamus. The behavioral impairment following these types of treatments is hierarchical: Thiamine deficiency produces the greatest impairment of hippocampal- and prefrontal-dependent behaviors, chronic ethanol drinking ensues mild impairments on both types of tasks and adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure leads to impairments on frontocortical tasks, with sparing on most hippocampal-dependent tasks. However, our preliminary data suggest that as rodents age following adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure, hippocampal functional deficits began to emerge. A necessary requirement for the advancement of understanding the neural consequences of alcoholism is a more comprehensive assessment and understanding of how excessive alcohol drinking at different development periods (adolescence, early adulthood, middle-aged and aged) influences the trajectory of the aging process, including pathological aging and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polliana Toledo Nunes
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Brian T Kipp
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Nicole L Reitz
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, United States
| | - Lisa M Savage
- Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York, Binghamton, NY, United States.
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Swartzwelder HS, Healey KL, Liu W, Dubester K, Miller KM, Crews FT. Changes in Neuroimmune and Neuronal Death Markers after Adolescent Alcohol Exposure in Rats are Reversed by Donepezil. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12110. [PMID: 31431637 PMCID: PMC6702347 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47039-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure diminishes neurogenesis and dendritic spine density in the dentate gyrus. The cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil (Aricept), reverses AIE effects on dendritic spines, possibly by interacting with inflammatory and/or epigenetic mediators after AIE exposure. This study tests the hypothesis that donepezil reverses AIE-induced neuroimmune, and epigenetic changes in the adult dentate gyrus. Adolescent Sprague-Dawley male rats (PD30-43) were given 10 intermittent, intragastric doses of ethanol (5.0 g/kg) or isovolumetric water (AIW). Twenty-one days later half of the animals from each group were treated with either donepezil or isovolumetric water (i.g.) once daily for four days. Two hours after the last donepezil or water dose animals were sacrificed and brains prepared for immunohistochemical analyses. AIE reduced immunoreactivity for doublecortin (DCX) and increased immunoreactivity for activated caspase-3 and death receptor-3 in adulthood, suggesting an enduring attenuation of neurogenesis and an increase in progenitor death. These effects were reversed by donepezil treatment in adulthood. AIE also increased immunoreactivity for the inflammatory signaling molecules HMGB1 and RAGE, as well as the activated phosphorylated transcription factor pNFκB p65, and the gene silencing marker dimethylated histone H3K9. All of these AIE effects were also reversed by donepezil, with the exception of HMGB1.
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Affiliation(s)
- H S Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., USA.
| | - Kati L Healey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., USA
| | - Wen Liu
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA
| | - Kira Dubester
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., USA
| | - Kelsey M Miller
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., USA
| | - Fulton T Crews
- Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C., USA
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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: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.4] [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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Galaj E, Kipp BT, Floresco SB, Savage LM. Persistent Alterations of Accumbal Cholinergic Interneurons and Cognitive Dysfunction after Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure. Neuroscience 2019; 404:153-164. [PMID: 30742967 PMCID: PMC6450752 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 01/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Adolescent binge drinking renders young drinkers vulnerable to alcohol use disorders in adulthood; therefore, understanding alcohol-induced brain damage and associated cognitive dysfunctions is of paramount importance. Here we investigated the effects of binge-like adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure on nonspatial working memory, behavioral flexibility and cholinergic alterations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) in male and female rats. On postnatal days P25-57 rats were intubated with water or ethanol (at a dose of 5 g/kg) on a 2-day-on/2-day-off cycle and were then tested in adulthood on social recognition and probabilistic reversal learning tasks. During the social recognition task AIE-treated rats spent similar amounts of time interacting with familiar and novel juveniles, indicating an impaired ability to sustain memory of the familiar juvenile. During probabilistic reversal learning, AIE-treated male and female rats showed behavioral inflexibility as indicated by a higher number of trials needed to complete three reversals within a session, longer response latencies for lever selection, and for males, a higher number of errors as compared to water-treated rats. AIE exposure also reduced the number of cholinergic interneurons in the NAc in males and females. These findings indicate AIE-related pathologies of accumbal cholinergic interneurons and long lasting cognitive-behavioral deficits, which may be associated with cortico-striatal hypofunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Galaj
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University of the State University of New York, New York, USA
| | - B T Kipp
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University of the State University of New York, New York, USA
| | - S B Floresco
- Department of Psychology and Brain Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - L M Savage
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University of the State University of New York, New York, USA.
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28
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Vetreno RP, Crews FT. Adolescent binge ethanol-induced loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons and neuroimmune activation are prevented by exercise and indomethacin. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0204500. [PMID: 30296276 PMCID: PMC6175501 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Basal forebrain cholinergic neurons mature in adolescence coinciding with development of adult cognitive function. Preclinical studies using the rodent model of adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE; 5.0 g/kg, i.g., 2-days on/2-days off from postnatal day [P]25 to P55) reveal persistent increases of brain neuroimmune genes that are associated with cognitive dysfunction. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure also reduces basal forebrain expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), an enzyme critical for acetylcholine synthesis in cholinergic neurons similar to findings in the post-mortem human alcoholic basal forebrain. We report here that AIE decreases basal forebrain ChAT+IR neurons in both adult female and male Wistar rats following early or late adolescent ethanol exposure. In addition, we find reductions in ChAT+IR somal size as well as the expression of the high-affinity nerve growth factor (NGF) receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase A (TrkA) and the low-affinity NGF receptor p75NTR, both of which are expressed on cholinergic neurons. The decrease in cholinergic neuron marker expression was accompanied by increased phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 (pNF-κB p65) consistent with increased neuroimmune signaling. Voluntary wheel running from P24 to P80 prevented AIE-induced cholinergic neuron shrinkage and loss of cholinergic neuron markers (i.e., ChAT, TrkA, and p75NTR) as well as the increase of pNF-κB p65 in the adult basal forebrain. Administration of the anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin (4.0 mg/kg, i.p prior to each ethanol exposure) during AIE also prevented the loss of basal forebrain cholinergic markers and the concomitant increase of pNF-κB p65. In contrast, treatment with the proinflammatory immune activator lipopolysaccharide (1.0 mg/kg, i.p. on P70) caused a loss of cholinergic neuron markers that was paralleled by increased pNF-κB p65 in the basal forebrain. These novel findings are consistent with AIE causing lasting activation of the neuroimmune system that contributes to the persistent loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P. Vetreno
- The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Fulton T. Crews
- The Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
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29
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Adedayo AD, Aderinola AA, Adekilekun TA, Olaolu OO, Olanike AM, Olayemi IK. Morphine-alcohol treatment impairs cognitive functions and increases neuro-inflammatory responses in the medial prefrontal cortex of juvenile male rats. Anat Cell Biol 2018; 51:41-51. [PMID: 29644109 PMCID: PMC5890016 DOI: 10.5115/acb.2018.51.1.41] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In the developed and developing world, opioid consumption in combination with alcohol has become one of the substances abused. In this experiment, we examined the effects of alcohol, morphine, and morphine+alcohol combination on cognitive functions and neuroinflammatory responses in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of juvenile male rats. Alcohol (1.0 ml of 15% v/v ethanol twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart), morphine (0.5 ml/kg of 0.4 mg/kg morphine chlorate twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart), morphine+alcohol co-treatment (0.5 ml/kg of 0.4 mg/kg morphine chlorate+1.0 ml of 15% v/v ethanol twice daily, subcutaneously, 7 hours apart) were administered for 21 days. Treatment with morphine+alcohol significantly impairs cognition functions in the Morris water maze, passive avoidance, and novel object recognition tests, furthermore, the treatment significantly increased the quantitative count of astrocytic cells and also conferred marked neuronal cell death in the mPFC, which were studied by glial fibrillary acidic protein immunochemistry for astrocytes and Cresyl violet for Nissl's substance distribution in neurons respectively. These results suggest that alcohol, morphine, and morphine+alcohol co-treatment may trigger cognitive deficits and neuroinflammatory responses in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Olaniyan Olayinka Olaolu
- Department of Medical Biochemistry (Chemical Pathology Unit), Osun State University (Osogbo Campus), Osogbo, Nigeria
| | | | - Ijomone Kafilat Olayemi
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Science, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria
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30
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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: 283] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.2] [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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31
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Mulholland PJ, Teppen TL, Miller KM, Sexton HG, Pandey SC, Swartzwelder HS. Donepezil Reverses Dendritic Spine Morphology Adaptations and Fmr1 Epigenetic Modifications in Hippocampus of Adult Rats After Adolescent Alcohol Exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2018; 42:706-717. [PMID: 29336496 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure produces persistent impairments in cholinergic and epigenetic signaling and alters markers of synapses in the hippocampal formation, effects that are thought to drive hippocampal dysfunction in adult rodents. Donepezil (Aricept), a cholinesterase inhibitor, is used clinically to ameliorate memory-related cognitive deficits. Given that donepezil also prevents morphological impairment in preclinical models of neuropsychiatric disorders, we investigated the ability of donepezil to reverse morphological and epigenetic adaptations in the hippocampus of adult rats exposed to AIE. Because of the known relationship between dendritic spine density and morphology with the fragile X mental retardation 1 (Fmr1) gene, we also assessed Fmr1 expression and its epigenetic regulation in hippocampus after AIE and donepezil pretreatment. METHODS Adolescent rats were administered intermittent ethanol for 16 days starting on postnatal day 30. Rats were treated with donepezil (2.5 mg/kg) once a day for 4 days starting 20 days after the completion of AIE exposure. Brains were dissected out after the fourth donepezil dose, and spine analysis was completed in dentate gyrus granule neurons. A separate cohort of rats, treated identically, was used for molecular studies. RESULTS AIE exposure significantly reduced dendritic spine density and altered morphological characteristics of subclasses of dendritic spines. AIE exposure also increased mRNA levels and H3-K27 acetylation occupancy of the Fmr1 gene in hippocampus. Treatment of AIE-exposed adult rats with donepezil reversed both the dendritic spine adaptations and epigenetic modifications and expression of Fmr1. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate that AIE produces long-lasting decreases in dendritic spine density and changes in Fmr1 gene expression in the hippocampal formation, suggesting morphological and epigenetic mechanisms underlying previously reported behavioral deficits after AIE. The reversal of these effects by subchronic, post-AIE donepezil treatment indicates that these AIE effects can be reversed by up-regulating cholinergic function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Mulholland
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Charleston Alcohol Research Center, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Tara L Teppen
- Center for Alcohol Research in Epigenetics, Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago and Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Kelsey M Miller
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center and Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Hannah G Sexton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center and Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North 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
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center and Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
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Adolescent binge ethanol exposure alters specific forebrain cholinergic cell populations and leads to selective functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex. Neuroscience 2017; 361:129-143. [PMID: 28807788 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence has been identified as a vulnerable developmental time period during which exposure to drugs can have long-lasting, detrimental effects. Although adolescent binge-like ethanol (EtOH) exposure leads to a significant reduction in forebrain cholinergic neurons, EtOH's functional effect on acetylcholine (ACh) release during behavior has yet to be examined. Using an adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure model (AIE), rats were exposed to binge-like levels of EtOH from postnatal days (PD) 25 to 55. Three weeks following the final EtOH exposure, cholinergic functioning was assessed during a spontaneous alternation protocol. During maze testing, ACh levels increased in both the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. However, selectively in the prefrontal cortex, AIE rats displayed reduced levels of behaviorally relevant ACh efflux. We found no treatment differences in spatial exploration, spatial learning, spatial reversal, or novel object recognition. In contrast, AIE rats were impaired during the first attentional set shift on an operant set-shifting task, indicative of an EtOH-mediated deficit in cognitive flexibility. A unique pattern of cholinergic cell loss was observed in the basal forebrain following AIE: Within the medial septum/diagonal band there was a selective loss (30%) of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive neurons that were nestin negative (ChAT+/nestin-); whereas in the Nucleus basalis of Meynert (NbM) there was a selective reduction (50%) in ChAT+/nestin+. These results indicate that early adolescent binge EtOH exposure leads to a long-lasting frontocortical functional cholinergic deficit, driven by a loss of ChAT+/nestin+ neurons in the NbM, which was associated with impaired cognitive flexibility during adulthood.
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Binge-Like Alcohol Exposure During Adolescence Disrupts Dopaminergic Neurotransmission in the Adult Prelimbic Cortex. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:1024-1036. [PMID: 27620551 PMCID: PMC5506791 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 08/05/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Repeated binge-like exposure to alcohol during adolescence has been reported to perturb prefrontal cortical development, yet the mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. Here we report that adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure induces cellular and dopaminergic abnormalities in the adult prelimbic cortex (PrL-C). Exposing rats to alcohol during early-mid adolescence (PD28-42) increased the density of long/thin dendritic spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the adult PrL-C. Interestingly, although AIE exposure did not alter the expression of glutamatergic proteins in the adult PrL-C, there was a pronounced reduction in dopamine (DA) D1 receptor modulation of both intrinsic firing and evoked NMDA currents in pyramidal cells, whereas D2 receptor function was unaltered. Recordings from fast-spiking interneurons also revealed that AIE reduced intrinsic excitability, glutamatergic signaling, and D1 receptor modulation of these cells. Analysis of PrL-C tissue of AIE-exposed rats further revealed persistent changes in the expression of DA-related proteins, including reductions in the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT). AIE exposure was associated with hypermethylation of the COMT promoter at a conserved CpG site in exon II. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that AIE exposure disrupts DA and GABAergic transmission in the adult medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). As DA and GABA work in concert to shape and synchronize neuronal ensembles in the PFC, these alterations could contribute to deficits in behavioral control and decision-making in adults who abused alcohol during adolescence.
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Tupler LA, Zapp D, DeJong W, Ali M, O'Rourke S, Looney J, Swartzwelder HS. Alcohol-Related Blackouts, Negative Alcohol-Related Consequences, and Motivations for Drinking Reported by Newly Matriculating Transgender College Students. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2017; 41:1012-1023. [PMID: 28324915 DOI: 10.1111/acer.13358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many transgender college students struggle with identity formation and other emotional, social, and developmental challenges associated with emerging adulthood. A potential maladaptive coping strategy employed by such students is heavy drinking. Prior literature has suggested greater consumption and negative alcohol-related consequences (ARCs) in transgender students compared with their cisgender peers, but little is known about their differing experiences with alcohol-related blackouts (ARBs). We examined the level of alcohol consumption, the frequency of ARBs and other ARCs, and motivations for drinking reported by the largest sample of transgender college students to date. METHODS A Web survey from an alcohol-prevention program, AlcoholEdu for College™, assessed student demographics and drinking-related behaviors, experiences, and motivations of newly matriculating first-year college students. A self-reported drinking calendar was used to examine each of the following measures over the previous 14 days: number of drinking days, total number of drinks, and maximum number of drinks on any single day. A 7-point Likert scale was used to measure ARCs, ARBs, and drinking motivations. Transgender students of both sexes were compared with their cisgender peers. RESULTS A total of 989 of 422,906 students (0.2%) identified as transgender. Over a 14-day period, transgender compared with cisgender students were more likely to consume alcohol over more days, more total drinks, and a greater number of maximum drinks on a single day. Transgender students (36%) were more likely to report an ARB than cisgender students (25%) as well as more negative academic, confrontation-related, social, and sexual ARCs. Transgender respondents more often cited stress reduction, social anxiety, self-esteem issues, and the inherent properties of alcohol as motivations for drinking. For nearly all measures, higher values were yielded by male-to-female than female-to-male transgender students. CONCLUSIONS Transgender compared with cisgender first-year students engage in higher-risk drinking patterns and experience more ARBs and other negative ARCs. Broad institutional efforts are required to address the unique circumstances of transgender men and women and to reduce negative ARCs in college students, regardless of their sex or gender identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry A Tupler
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Daniel Zapp
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,EverFi, Inc., Washington, District of Columbia
| | - William DeJong
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Maryam Ali
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.,Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Sarah O'Rourke
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - John Looney
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
| | - H Scott Swartzwelder
- Consortium for the Study of the American College Student, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.,Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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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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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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Swartzwelder HS, Risher ML, Miller KM, Colbran RJ, Winder DG, Wills TA. Changes in the Adult GluN2B Associated Proteome following Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol Exposure. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155951. [PMID: 27213757 PMCID: PMC4877005 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescent alcohol use is the strongest predictor for alcohol use disorders. In rodents, adolescents have distinct responses to acute ethanol, and prolonged alcohol exposure during adolescence can maintain these phenotypes into adulthood. One brain region that is particularly sensitive to the effects of both acute and chronic ethanol exposure is the hippocampus. Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure (AIE) produces long lasting changes in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and dendritic morphology, as well as in the susceptibility to acute ethanol-induced spatial memory impairment. Given the pattern of changes in hippocampal structure and function, one potential target for these effects is the ethanol sensitive GluN2B subunit of the NMDA receptor, which is known to be involved in synaptic plasticity and dendritic morphology. Thus we sought to determine if there were persistent changes in hippocampal GluN2B signaling cascades following AIE. We employed a previously validated GluN2B-targeted proteomic strategy that was used to identify novel signaling mechanisms altered by chronic ethanol exposure in the adult hippocampus. We collected adult hippocampal tissue (P70) from rats that had been given 2 weeks of AIE from P30-45. Tissue extracts were fractionated into synaptic and non-synaptic pools, immuno-precipitated for GluN2B, and then analyzed using proteomic methods. We detected a large number of proteins associated with GluN2B. AIE produced significant changes in the association of many proteins with GluN2B in both synaptic and non-synaptic fractions. Intriguingly the number of proteins changed in the non-synaptic fraction was double that found in the synaptic fraction. Some of these proteins include those involved in glutamate signaling cytoskeleton rearrangement, calcium signaling, and plasticity. Disruptions in these pathways may contribute to the persistent cellular and behavioral changes found in the adult hippocampus following AIE. Further, the robust change in non-synaptic proteins suggests that AIE may prime this signaling pathway for future ethanol exposures in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. Scott Swartzwelder
- Durham VA Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Mary-Louise Risher
- Durham VA Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kelsey M. Miller
- Durham VA Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Roger J. Colbran
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- J. F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Danny G. Winder
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- J. F. Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
| | - Tiffany A. Wills
- Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States of America
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Health Science Center, New Orleans, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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