Involvement of the Opioid System in High Alcohol Consumption : Environmental and Genetic Influences
TL;DRAbstract
It is well accepted that both inherent and environmental factors influence the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. This thesis investigates the role of the opioid system in the initiation and maintenance of high ethanol intake. Ethanol-preferring C57BL/6J mice differ from ethanol-avoiding DBA/2J mice in that they exhibit lower basal levels of the opioid peptides dynorphin B and Met-enkephalin-Arg6Phe7 (MEAP) in the nucleus accumbens, which may contribute to their divergent drug-taking behaviour. Chronic ethanol intake in C57BL/6J mice and repeated ethanol administration in Sprague-Dawley rats induce time-specific changes in dynorphin B and MEAP levels in regions, such as the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, associated with reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. Daily neonatal handling for 15 min (H15) and maternal separation for 360 min (MS360) during postnatal day 1-21 were used as models for environmental manipulation early in life. H15 in male rats results in decrea
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It is well accepted that both inherent and environmental factors influence the pathogenesis of alcohol dependence. This thesis investigates the role of the opioid system in the initiation and maintenance of high ethanol intake. Ethanol-preferring C57BL/6J mice differ from ethanol-avoiding DBA/2J mice in that they exhibit lower basal levels of the opioid peptides dynorphin B and Met-enkephalin-Arg6Phe7 (MEAP) in the nucleus accumbens, which may contribute to their divergent drug-taking behaviour. Chronic ethanol intake in C57BL/6J mice and repeated ethanol administration in Sprague-Dawley rats induce time-specific changes in dynorphin B and MEAP levels in regions, such as the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area, associated with reinforcing effects of drugs of abuse. Daily neonatal handling for 15 min (H15) and maternal separation for 360 min (MS360) during postnatal day 1-21 were used as models for environmental manipulation early in life. H15 in male rats results in decrea
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