Studies have shown that exposure to a stressor can increase ethanol consumption. One of the potential modulators of this effect is neuropeptide Y (NPY), which is involved in the regulation of both anxiety-like behavior and ethanol consumption in rodents. Thus, increased NPY signaling has been shown to reduce ethanol consumption and anxiety-like behaviors. The experiments described in the present proposal are designed to test the guiding hypothesis that NPY plays a protective role against stress-induced increases of ethanol consumption. All of the proposed studies will use a complex stressor, which consists of saline injections followed by simultaneous exposure to a novel environment and noise.
Specific aim 1 will use mutant mice lacking NPY or the NPY Y1 receptor to determine the role of NPY signaling in stress-induced increases in ethanol consumption.
Specific aim 2 will utilize a neurotoxin that is conjugated to NPY to target and kill cells expressing Y1 receptors. This neurotoxin allows the study of blunted NPY signaling in specific brain regions and aim 2 will determine the role of NPY signaling in the amygdala and the lateral hypothalamus on stress-induced increases in ethanol consumption.
Specific aim 3 will study the effects of NPY signaling on limited access ethanol consumption in mice with or without prior exposure to a stressor. Specifically, mutant mice lacking NPY (or wild-type controls) with a prior history of stress exposure will be given access to ethanol for 2-4 hours/day, beginning 3 hours into the dark cycle. These procedures, labeled drinking-in-the-dark (DID), induce high levels of ethanol consumption and physiologically relevant blood ethanol concentrations and are thought to model binge-like ethanol drinking. Results from the proposed studies will provide insight on the importance of NPY signaling in modulating stress-induced increases of ethanol consumption. Since stress disorders are comorbid with alcoholism and as stress can trigger relapse in abstinent alcoholics, results from the present research may provide insight into potential therapeutic targets aimed at treated alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31AA017818-03
Application #
7900566
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAA1-CC (12))
Program Officer
Regunathan, Soundar
Project Start
2008-08-05
Project End
2011-05-18
Budget Start
2010-08-05
Budget End
2011-05-18
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
$25,537
Indirect Cost
Name
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
608195277
City
Chapel Hill
State
NC
Country
United States
Zip Code
27599
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Lowery-Gionta, Emily G; Navarro, Montserrat; Li, Chia et al. (2012) Corticotropin releasing factor signaling in the central amygdala is recruited during binge-like ethanol consumption in C57BL/6J mice. J Neurosci 32:3405-13
Sparrow, Angela M; Lowery-Gionta, Emily G; Pleil, Kristen E et al. (2012) Central neuropeptide Y modulates binge-like ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J mice via Y1 and Y2 receptors. Neuropsychopharmacology 37:1409-21
Lyons, Angela M; Thiele, Todd E (2010) Neuropeptide Y conjugated to saporin alters anxiety-like behavior when injected into the central nucleus of the amygdala or basomedial hypothalamus in BALB/cJ mice. Peptides 31:2193-9