Environmental stimuli such as the taste, smell, and sight, of a favorite alcoholic drink can become salient cues that increase craving for alcohol and lead individuals to continue to drink to the point of intoxication (or well beyond). These same cues can also cause craving and relapse in individuals who have abstained from alcohol for long periods of time. Because continued excessive alcohol intake and relapse following abstinence are both hallmarks of alcoholism, understanding the brain regions and processes that regulate cue-evoked alcohol seeking are critical to develop effective treatment strategies for these alcoholic individuals. Interestingly, neural activity within an area of the brain known as th prefrontal cortex (PFC) is now known to be critically involved in regulating how alcohol associated cues elicit craving, alcohol seeking, and intake. However, the exact changes in neural activity that mediate continued excessive alcohol intake and/or craving and relapse are poorly understood. We also have only a very limited understanding of how populations with genetic risk for developing alcoholism might exhibit abnormal neural processing regimes in the PFC, which make them more vulnerable to cue-related craving. We hypothesize that neural networks in the PFC will be more robustly effected by alcohol-paired cues in vulnerable populations than non-vulnerable. We also hypothesize that PFC neuronal networks are more resistant to re-mapping in genetically vulnerable populations during periods of abstinence from alcohol. These abnormal neuronal network processes might contribute to heightened cue-evoked craving and drive both continued excessive alcohol intake, as well as relapse following periods of abstinence. Our broad, long-term objective is to develop a comprehensive understanding of how neuronal networks (ensembles) within the PFC are altered by alcohol associated cues. We will accomplish this by using state-of-the-art electrophysiological recording and analysis techniques of large populations of cells in the awake behaving rodent to determine, for the first time, how instantaneous shifts in PFC ensemble activity evoked by alcohol paired cues: 1) contribute to the maintenance of binge- drinking and are modified during extinction, and 2) initiate relapse-like behavior. We will evaluate these effects in a rat population genetically predisposed to excessive alcohol consumption (Indiana alcohol preferring P rats) and in a rat population with average genetic susceptibility to excessive alcohol consumption (Wistar rats). Determining the neurobiological/neurophysiological causes and consequences of excessive alcohol consumption as well as the role of genetic vulnerability to excessive alcohol intake are directly relevant to the mission of the NIAAA. Specifically, the proposed studies will reveal the neurobiological origins of why genetically vulnerable populations respond to alcohol, and alcohol-paired cues, differently. This will lead us to a better understanding of why and how alcohol can cause addiction and will help us develop strategies to prevent and treat excessive drinking.

Public Health Relevance

The results of this work will contribute to the field by determining how the activity and architecture of neuronal networks within the prefrontal cortex (PFC) interact with alcohol associated cues to 1) maintain and extinguish binge-like alcohol intake and 2) evoke relapse-like behavior following abstinence. Determining how the PFC assigns and integrates information about alcohol associated cues will inform the field of potential avenues for treating those vulnerable to cue-evoked craving and relapse;particularly those with increased risk due to genetic factors.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
1F32AA022268-01A1
Application #
8592506
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAA1-DD (04))
Program Officer
Liu, Qi-Ying
Project Start
2013-08-01
Project End
2016-07-31
Budget Start
2013-08-01
Budget End
2014-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$47,875
Indirect Cost
Name
Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
603007902
City
Indianapolis
State
IN
Country
United States
Zip Code
46202
Linsenbardt, David N; Smoker, Michael P; Janetsian-Fritz, Sarine S et al. (2017) Impulsivity in rodents with a genetic predisposition for excessive alcohol consumption is associated with a lack of a prospective strategy. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 17:235-251
Linsenbardt, David N; Lapish, Christopher C (2015) Neural Firing in the Prefrontal Cortex During Alcohol Intake in Alcohol-Preferring ""P"" Versus Wistar Rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 39:1642-53
Janetsian, Sarine S; McCane, Aqilah M; Linsenbardt, David N et al. (2015) Methamphetamine-induced deficits in social interaction are not observed following abstinence from single or repeated exposures. Behav Pharmacol 26:786-97
Janetsian, Sarine S; Linsenbardt, David N; Lapish, Christopher C (2015) Memory impairment and alterations in prefrontal cortex gamma band activity following methamphetamine sensitization. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 232:2083-95
Linsenbardt, David N; Boehm 2nd, Stephen L (2015) Relative fluid novelty differentially alters the time course of limited-access ethanol and water intake in selectively bred high-alcohol-preferring mice. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 39:621-30
Ahn, Sungwoo; Linsenbardt, David N; Lapish, Christopher C et al. (2013) Repeated injections of D-Amphetamine evoke rapid and dynamic changes in phase synchrony between the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. Front Behav Neurosci 7:92