Effects of Prolonged Ethanol Vapor Exposure on Forced Swim Behavior, and Neuropeptide Y and Corticotropin-releasing Factor Levels in Rat Brains

Overview

Journal Alcohol

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2010 Aug 14

PMID 20705420

Citations 36

Authors

Brendan M Walker

David A Drimmer

Jennifer L Walker

Tianmin Liu

Aleksander A Mathe

Cindy L Ehlers

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Depressive symptoms in alcohol-dependent individuals are well-recognized and clinically relevant phenomena. The etiology has not been elucidated although it is clear that the depressive symptoms may be alcohol independent or alcohol induced. To contribute to the understanding of the neurobiology of chronic ethanol use, we investigated the effects of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure on behaviors in the forced swim test (FST) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels in specific brain regions. Adult male Wistar rats were subjected to intermittent ethanol vapor (14 h on/10 h off) or air exposure for 2 weeks and were then tested at three time points corresponding to acute withdrawal (8-12 h into withdrawal) and protracted withdrawal (30 and 60 days of withdrawal) in the FST. The behaviors that were measured in the five-min FST consisted of latency to immobility, swim time, immobility time, and climbing time. The FST results showed that the vapor-exposed animals displayed depressive-like behaviors; for instance, decreased latency to immobility in acute withdrawal and decreased latency to immobility, decreased swim time and increased immobility time in protracted withdrawal, with differences between air- and vapor-exposed animals becoming more pronounced over the 60-day withdrawal period. NPY levels in the frontal cortex of the vapor-exposed animals were decreased compared with the control animals, and CRF levels in the amygdala were correlated with increased immobility time. Thus, extended ethanol vapor exposure produced long-lasting changes in FST behavior and NPY levels in the brain.

Citing Articles

Home cage voluntary alcohol consumption increases binge drinking without affecting abstinence-related depressive-like behaviors or operant responding in crossed high alcohol-preferring mice (cHAPs).

Winkler G, Grahame N Alcohol. 2023; 116:9-19.

PMID: 37838352 PMC: 10947980. DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2023.10.001.

Behavioral and biochemical effects of alcohol withdrawal in female C3H/HeNRj and C57BL/6JRj mice.

Tonetto S, Weikop P, Brudek T, Thomsen M Front Behav Neurosci. 2023; 17:1143720.

PMID: 36910126 PMC: 9995974. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1143720.

Chronic MAP4343 reverses escalated alcohol drinking in a mouse model of alcohol use disorder.

Macedo G, Kreifeldt M, Goulding S, Okhuarobo A, Sidhu H, Contet C Neuropsychopharmacology. 2023; 48(5):821-830.

PMID: 36670228 PMC: 10066354. DOI: 10.1038/s41386-023-01529-z.

Adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure induces sex-dependent divergent changes in ethanol drinking and motor activity in adulthood in C57BL/6J mice.

Maldonado-Devincci A, Makdisi J, Hill A, Waters R, Hall N, Shobande M J Neurosci Res. 2021; 100(8):1560-1572.

PMID: 33725399 PMC: 8957701. DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24814.

Epigenetic mechanisms underlying stress-induced depression.

De Carvalho L, Chen W, Lasek A Int Rev Neurobiol. 2021; 156:87-126.

PMID: 33461666 PMC: 8018603. DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.08.001.

References

Overstreet D, Griebel G . Antidepressant-like effects of CRF1 receptor antagonist SSR125543 in an animal model of depression. Eur J Pharmacol. 2004; 497(1):49-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2004.06.035. View

OSullivan K . Depression and its treatment in alcoholics: a review. Can J Psychiatry. 1984; 29(5):379-84. DOI: 10.1177/070674378402900503. View

Cryan J, Markou A, Lucki I . Assessing antidepressant activity in rodents: recent developments and future needs. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2002; 23(5):238-45. DOI: 10.1016/s0165-6147(02)02017-5. View

Funk C, Zorrilla E, Lee M, Rice K, Koob G . Corticotropin-releasing factor 1 antagonists selectively reduce ethanol self-administration in ethanol-dependent rats. Biol Psychiatry. 2006; 61(1):78-86. PMC: 2741496. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2006.03.063. View

Rimondini R, Sommer W, Heilig M . A temporal threshold for induction of persistent alcohol preference: behavioral evidence in a rat model of intermittent intoxication. J Stud Alcohol. 2003; 64(4):445-9. DOI: 10.15288/jsa.2003.64.445. View

Heilig M, Soderpalm B, Engel J, Widerlov E . Centrally administered neuropeptide Y (NPY) produces anxiolytic-like effects in animal anxiety models. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1989; 98(4):524-9. DOI: 10.1007/BF00441953. View

Merlo Pich E, Lorang M, Yeganeh M, Rodriguez de Fonseca F, Raber J, Koob G . Increase of extracellular corticotropin-releasing factor-like immunoreactivity levels in the amygdala of awake rats during restraint stress and ethanol withdrawal as measured by microdialysis. J Neurosci. 1995; 15(8):5439-47. PMC: 6577636. View

Lucki I . The forced swimming test as a model for core and component behavioral effects of antidepressant drugs. Behav Pharmacol. 1998; 8(6-7):523-32. DOI: 10.1097/00008877-199711000-00010. View

Mathe A, Gruber S, Jimenez P, Theodorsson E, Stenfors C . Effects of electroconvulsive stimuli and MK-801 on neuropeptide Y, neurokinin A, and calcitonin gene-related peptide in rat brain. Neurochem Res. 1997; 22(5):629-36. DOI: 10.1023/a:1022482322329. View

10.

Kessler R, Crum R, Warner L, Nelson C, Schulenberg J, Anthony J . Lifetime co-occurrence of DSM-III-R alcohol abuse and dependence with other psychiatric disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1997; 54(4):313-21. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1997.01830160031005. View

11.

Rassnick S, Heinrichs S, Britton K, Koob G . Microinjection of a corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist into the central nucleus of the amygdala reverses anxiogenic-like effects of ethanol withdrawal. Brain Res. 1993; 605(1):25-32. DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(93)91352-s. View

12.

Valdez G, Roberts A, Chan K, Davis H, Brennan M, Zorrilla E . Increased ethanol self-administration and anxiety-like behavior during acute ethanol withdrawal and protracted abstinence: regulation by corticotropin-releasing factor. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2002; 26(10):1494-501. DOI: 10.1097/01.ALC.0000033120.51856.F0. View

13.

Thorsell A, Slawecki C, Ehlers C . Effects of neuropeptide Y and corticotropin-releasing factor on ethanol intake in Wistar rats: interaction with chronic ethanol exposure. Behav Brain Res. 2005; 161(1):133-40. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2005.01.016. View

14.

Redrobe J, Dumont Y, Fournier A, Quirion R . The neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y1 receptor subtype mediates NPY-induced antidepressant-like activity in the mouse forced swimming test. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2002; 26(5):615-24. DOI: 10.1016/S0893-133X(01)00403-1. View

15.

Brown S, Schuckit M . Changes in depression among abstinent alcoholics. J Stud Alcohol. 1988; 49(5):412-7. DOI: 10.15288/jsa.1988.49.412. View

16.

Paschos K, Veletza S, Chatzaki E . Neuropeptide and sigma receptors as novel therapeutic targets for the pharmacotherapy of depression. CNS Drugs. 2009; 23(9):755-72. DOI: 10.2165/11310830-000000000-00000. View

17.

Grant B, Harford T . Comorbidity between DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and major depression: results of a national survey. Drug Alcohol Depend. 1995; 39(3):197-206. DOI: 10.1016/0376-8716(95)01160-4. View

18.

Heinrichs S, Menzaghi F, Pich E, Baldwin H, Rassnick S, Britton K . Anti-stress action of a corticotropin-releasing factor antagonist on behavioral reactivity to stressors of varying type and intensity. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1994; 11(3):179-86. DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1380104. View

19.

Breese G, Overstreet D, Knapp D, Navarro M . Prior multiple ethanol withdrawals enhance stress-induced anxiety-like behavior: inhibition by CRF1- and benzodiazepine-receptor antagonists and a 5-HT1a-receptor agonist. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2005; 30(9):1662-9. PMC: 2864139. DOI: 10.1038/sj.npp.1300706. View

20.

Markou A, Kosten T, Koob G . Neurobiological similarities in depression and drug dependence: a self-medication hypothesis. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1998; 18(3):135-74. DOI: 10.1016/S0893-133X(97)00113-9. View