Social Housing Leads to Increased Ethanol Intake in Male Mice Housed in Environmentally Enriched Cages.

An individual's social environment affects alcohol intake. However, the complex interactions between social context and alcohol intake remain understudied in preclinical models. In the present study, we sought to characterize the effects of social housing on voluntary ethanol intake in male C567BL/6J mice using a continuous access two-bottle choice model.

Temporal analysis of individual ethanol consumption in socially housed mice and the effects of oxytocin.

Rationale: The majority of preclinical studies assessing treatments for alcohol use disorder use singly housed animals. Because social factors affect ethanol intake, studies investigating such treatments in group-housed animals are needed.

Objectives: We investigated the effects of repeated oxytocin treatment on ethanol intake in socially housed male and female C57BL/6J mice.

Effects of Housing Conditions and Circadian Time on Baseline c-Fos Immunoreactivity in C57BL/6J Mice.

Analysis of expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos in neuronal populations is a commonly used method to assess changes in neuronal activity due to various factors of interest. However, different levels of c-Fos have been observed between control animals across studies. The present investigation assessed whether such differences could reflect different behavioral or physiological states in housing conditions that are typically considered naïve controls.

Differential sensitivity of alcohol drinking and partner preference to a CRFR1 antagonist in prairie voles and mice.

Available pharmacotherapies to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) show limited efficacy. Preclinical studies in mice and rats suggested that antagonists of the corticotropin releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) could be more efficacious for such treatment. However, clinical trials with CRFR1 antagonists were not successful.

G protein-biased kratom-alkaloids and synthetic carfentanil-amide opioids as potential treatments for alcohol use disorder.

Background And Purpose: Mitragyna speciosa, more commonly known as kratom, is a plant that contains opioidergic alkaloids but is unregulated in most countries. Kratom is used in the self-medication of chronic pain and to reduce illicit and prescription opioid dependence. Kratom may be less dangerous than typical opioids because of the stronger preference of kratom alkaloids to induce receptor interaction with G proteins over β-arrestin proteins.

From Pleasure to Pain, and Back Again: The Intricate Relationship Between Alcohol and Nociception.

Aims: A close and bidirectional relationship between alcohol consumption and pain has been previously reported and discussed in influential reviews. The goal of the present narrative review is to provide an update on the developments in this field in order to guide future research objectives.

Methods: We evaluated both epidemiological and neurobiological literature interrogating the relationship between alcohol use and pain for the presence of significant effects.

Repeated Use of the Psychoactive Substance Ethylphenidate Impacts Neurochemistry and Reward Learning in Adolescent Male and Female Mice.

Schedule II prescription psychostimulants, such as methylphenidate (MPH), can be misused as nootropic drugs, i.e., drugs that enhance focus and cognition.

Critical Role for G-Protein Activity in the Dorsal Striatum in the Reduction of Voluntary Alcohol Intake in C57Bl/6 Mice.

The transition from non-dependent alcohol use to alcohol dependence involves increased activity of the dorsal striatum. Interestingly, the dorsal striatum expresses a large number of inhibitory G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which when activated may inhibit alcohol-induced increased activity and can decrease alcohol consumption. Here, we explore the hypothesis that dorsal striatal G-protein activation is sufficient to reduce voluntary alcohol intake.

Behavioral Characterization of β-Arrestin 1 Knockout Mice in Anxiety-Like and Alcohol Behaviors.

β-Arrestin 1 and 2 are highly expressed proteins involved in the desensitization of G protein-coupled receptor signaling which also regulate a variety of intracellular signaling pathways. Gene knockout (KO) studies suggest that the two isoforms are not homologous in their effects on baseline and drug-induced behavior; yet, the role of β-arrestin 1 in the central nervous system has been less investigated compared to β-arrestin 2. Here, we investigate how global β-arrestin 1 KO affects anxiety-like and alcohol-related behaviors in male and female C57BL/6 mice.

Functional histamine H and adenosine A receptor heteromers in recombinant cells and rat striatum.

In the striatum, histamine H receptors (HRs) are co-expressed with adenosine A receptors (ARs) in the cortico-striatal glutamatergic afferents and the GABAergic medium-sized spiny neurons that originate the indirect pathway of the basal ganglia. This location allows HRs and ARs to regulate the striatal GABAergic and glutamatergic transmission. However, whether these receptors can physically interact has not yet been assessed.

Adolescent intake of caffeinated energy drinks does not affect adult alcohol consumption in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice.

The rise in marketing and mass consumption of energy drink products by adolescents poses a largely unknown risk on adolescent development and drug reward. Yet, with increasing reports of acute health issues present in young adults who ingest large quantities of energy drinks alone or in combination with alcohol, the need to elucidate these potential risks is pressing. Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and sucrose; therefore, exposure to energy drinks may lead to changes in drug-related behaviors since caffeine and sucrose consumption activates similar brain pathways engaged by substances of abuse.

Unique Behavioral and Neurochemical Effects Induced by Repeated Adolescent Consumption of Caffeine-Mixed Alcohol in C57BL/6 Mice.

The number of highly caffeinated products has increased dramatically in the past few years. Among these products, highly caffeinated energy drinks are the most heavily advertised and purchased, which has resulted in increased incidences of co-consumption of energy drinks with alcohol. Despite the growing number of adolescents and young adults reporting caffeine-mixed alcohol use, knowledge of the potential consequences associated with co-consumption has been limited to survey-based results and in-laboratory human behavioral testing.

Prediction of Response to Therapy for Autoimmune/Inflammatory Diseases Using an Activated Macrophage-Targeted Radioimaging Agent.

The ability to select patients who will respond to therapy is especially acute for autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, where the costs of therapies can be high and the progressive damage associated with ineffective treatments can be irreversible. In this article we describe a clinical test that will rapidly predict the response of patients with an autoimmune/inflammatory disease to many commonly employed therapies. This test involves quantitative assessment of uptake of a folate receptor-targeted radioimaging agent ((99m)Tc-EC20) by a subset of inflammatory macrophages that accumulate at sites of inflammation.