Event Details:
The effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on response inhibition and cortico-striatal dynamics
Abstract
Aqilah McCane, Oregon Health & Science University
Purpose
Development of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is strongly associated with initiation of drinking during adolescence. However, the impact of adolescent alcohol use is understudied, yet relevant to AUD pathology. A better understanding of the impact of alcohol exposure on the adolescent brain in the context of motivated behavior is fundamental for understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of AUD.
Methods
We used a moderate voluntary adolescent drinking model combined with a recently developed Cued Response Inhibition Task (CRIT) that assesses response inhibition, stimulus-response relationships, attentional processes and learning in male and female adolescent or adult rats. We performed in vivo electrophysiology recordings of both single units and local field potentials in the orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal striatum, two brain regions implicated in response inhibition. Power spectra, orbitofrontal cortex-dorsal striatum synchrony, firing rate and spike correlations were computed for behavioral events of interest.
Results
We find deficits in response inhibition and corresponding alterations in orbitofrontal cortex and dorsal striatum activity. Specifically, animals who experienced adolescent alcohol exposure showed an attenuated response to conditioned cues in the orbitofrontal cortex, as well as an increase in cortical-striatal synchrony during cued-responding. Adolescent ethanol exposure was also associated with increased home-cage drinking of ethanol in adulthood. Conclusions: Because dysfunction of cortico-striatal circuits is a critical feature of AUD, these translational results will enhance our mechanistic understanding of brain changes that occur in these circuits as a consequence of adolescent ethanol exposure. These data suggest that vulnerability to develop alcohol-related problems are promoted by adolescent alcohol drinking, and associated with alterations in cortical-striatal networks.
Hosted by - Mari Sosa
About the BELONG Seminar Series
The BELONG seminar series features scientific talks from exceptional postdocs in the neurosciences who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and/or Person of Color. Sponsored by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Committee for Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, Equity and Justice.
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