Animal models of alcohol use disorder and the brain: From casual drinking to dependence.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by clinically significant impairments in health and social function. Epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation may provide an attractive explanation for how early life exposures to alcohol contribute to the development of AUD and exert lifelong effects on the brain. This chapter provides a critical discussion of the role of epigenetic mechanisms in AUD etiology and the potential of epigenetic research to improve diagnosis, evaluate risks for alcohol-induced pathologies, and promote development of novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of AUD. Challenges of the current epigenetic approaches and future directions are also discussed.

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Tumour Necrosis Factor in Neuroplasticity, Neurogenesis and Alcohol Use Disorder

Brain Plasticity ◽

10.3233/bpl-190095 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 47-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ignatius Alvarez Cooper ◽

Kate Beecher ◽

Fatemeh Chehrehasa ◽

Arnauld Belmer ◽

Selena E. Bartlett

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Tumour Necrosis Factor ◽

Tumour Necrosis ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Exposure ◽

Ethanol Exposure ◽

Neuroimmune System ◽

Inflammatory Status ◽

The Brain ◽

Necrosis Factor

Alcohol use disorder is a pervasive and detrimental condition that involves changes in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Alcohol activates the neuroimmune system and alters the inflammatory status of the brain. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is a well characterised neuroimmune signal but its involvement in alcohol use disorder is unknown. In this review, we discuss the variable findings of TNF’s effect on neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Acute ethanol exposure reduces TNF release while chronic alcohol intake generally increases TNF levels. Evidence suggests TNF potentiates excitatory transmission, promotes anxiety during alcohol withdrawal and is involved in drug use in rodents. An association between craving for alcohol and TNF is apparent during withdrawal in humans. While anti-inflammatory therapies show efficacy in reversing neurogenic deficit after alcohol exposure, there is no evidence for TNF’s essential involvement in alcohol’s effect on neurogenesis. Overall, defining TNF’s role in alcohol use disorder is complicated by poor understanding of its variable effects on synaptic transmission and neurogenesis. While TNF may be of relevance during withdrawal, the neuroimmune system likely acts through a larger group of inflammatory cytokines to alter neuroplasticity and neurogenesis. Understanding the individual relevance of TNF in alcohol use disorder awaits a more comprehensive understanding of TNF’s effects within the brain.

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Novel In Vivo Investigation of the Brain Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ System in Alcohol Use Disorder: Are There Lessons From a Negative Neuroimaging Study?

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.09.005 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 84 (10) ◽

pp. 704-705

Author(s):

Laura M. Best ◽

Isabelle Boileau

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Orphanin Fq ◽

Neuroimaging Study ◽

The Brain

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Advances in behavioral animal models of alcohol use disorder

Alcohol ◽

10.1016/j.alcohol.2018.05.014 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 ◽

pp. 73-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Koral Goltseker ◽

Frederic W. Hopf ◽

Segev Barak

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Animal Models ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder

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Dos mundos conectados: Cómo la exposición al estrés social nos hace más vulnerables al consumo de drogas

Mètode Revista de difusió de la investigació ◽

10.7203/metode.12.18316 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Sandra Montagud-Romero ◽

Marina D. Reguilón ◽

Marta Rodriguez-Arias

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Social Interaction ◽

Alcohol Use ◽

Animal Models ◽

Drug Use ◽

Powerful Effect ◽

Close Relationship ◽

The Impact ◽

The Brain

Stress is one of the main risk factors that can induce humans to develop disorders such as depression, anxiety, or drug use. One of the main sources of stress is social interaction, which can lead to situations such as bullying at school or at work. In this article we will review the close relationship between exposure to stressful situations and increased cocaine or alcohol use. We will present the main results obtained with animal models, which allow us to study the brain mechanisms involved in the impact of stress on drug use. To conclude, we will detail the main mechanisms that explain the powerful effect of stress on drug use.

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Therapeutic Prospects of Cannabidiol for Alcohol Use Disorder and Alcohol-Related Damages on the Liver and the Brain

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2019.00627 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Julia De Ternay ◽

Mickaël Naassila ◽

Mikail Nourredine ◽

Alexandre Louvet ◽

François Bailly ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

The Brain

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Integrative Approach to Alcohol Use Disorder

10.1093/med/9780190275334.003.0004 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Jeff Wilkens ◽

Shahla J. Modir

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Secondary Prevention ◽

Medical Treatment ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Alcohol Use Disorders ◽

Integrative Approach ◽

Primary And Secondary Prevention ◽

Dsm 5 ◽

Heavy Alcohol Use ◽

The Brain

Integrative medicine has the potential to augment traditional medical treatment of alcohol use disorders (as defined by the DSM-5), while also providing a basis for primary and secondary prevention of alcohol-use disorders (AUD). The chapter provides the reader with a review of the effects of alcohol on the human brain and body—including how chronic heavy alcohol use produces disproportionate changes throughout the brain that may result in the development of AUD, the influence of genetics on an individual’s sensitivity or insensitivity to alcohol, how traditional medicine balances medications that reduce craving for alcohol with psychosocial therapies, and how exercise, healthy diet, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, acupuncture, and neurofeedback may augment traditional medical treatment and contribute to primary and secondary prevention of AUD.

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Receptors and Channels Associated with Alcohol Use: Contributions from Drosophila

Neuroscience Insights ◽

10.1177/26331055211007441 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 263310552110074

Author(s):

Kristin M Scaplen ◽

Emily Petruccelli

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Treatment Strategies ◽

Comprehensive Understanding ◽

The Core ◽

Molecular Effects ◽

The Brain ◽

Genetic Toolkit ◽

Drosophila Models

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a debilitating disorder that manifests as problematic patterns of alcohol use. At the core of AUD’s behavioral manifestations are the profound structural, physiological, cellular, and molecular effects of alcohol on the brain. While the field has made considerable progress in understanding the neuromolecular targets of alcohol we still lack a comprehensive understanding of alcohol’s actions and effective treatment strategies. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model for investigating the neuromolecular targets of alcohol because flies model many of the core behavioral elements of AUD and offer a rich genetic toolkit to precisely reveal the in vivo molecular actions of alcohol. In this review, we focus on receptors and channels that are often targeted by alcohol within the brain. We discuss the general roles of these proteins, their role in alcohol-associated behaviors across species, and propose ways in which Drosophila models can help advance the field.

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Proteomics reveals profound metabolic changes in the alcohol use disorder brain

10.1101/447912 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Charmaine Enculescu ◽

Edward D. Kerr ◽

K. Y. Benjamin Yeo ◽

Peter R. Dodd ◽

Gerhard Schenk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Alcohol Use ◽

Alcohol Use Disorder ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Substantial Effect ◽

Biochemical Processes ◽

Data Independent Acquisition ◽

Metabolic Adaptations ◽

Brain Proteome ◽

Acetate Utilization ◽

The Brain

AbstractChanges in brain metabolism are a hallmark of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Determining how AUD changes the brain proteome is critical for understanding the effects of alcohol consumption on biochemical processes in the brain. We used data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry proteomics to study differences in the abundance of proteins associated with AUD in pre-frontal lobe and motor cortex from autopsy brain. AUD had a substantial effect on the overall brain proteome exceeding the inherent differences between brain regions. Proteins associated with glycolysis, trafficking, the cytoskeleton, and excitotoxicity were altered in abundance in AUD. We observed extensive changes in the abundance of key metabolic enzymes, consistent with a switch from glucose to acetate utilization in the AUD brain. We propose that metabolic adaptations allowing efficient acetate utilization contribute to ethanol dependence in AUD.

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