Impact of adolescent ethanol binge on serotonin signaling and pain sensitivity post-withdrawal.

ABSTRACT: Adolescence is a critical neurodevelopmental period characterized by heightened neuroplasticity. While the acute effects of binge ethanol (EtOH) consumption are documented, its long-term impact on both pain sensitivity and microglial activation during adolescence remains unclear. Given serotonin's (5-HT) known involvement in pain processing and sensitivity to EtOH, this study examined the effects of adolescent EtOH binge on microglia-induced neuroinflammation in serotonergic nuclei, downstream 5-HT signaling, and pain sensitivity at different time points after EtOH withdrawal. Adolescent male C57BL/6J mice received triweekly oral gavage of 20 % EtOH or water for 4 weeks and were assessed after 24 h and 3 weeks post-withdrawal. We used immunohistochemistry to assess neuroinflammation in the

SUBMITTER: Feller AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12949556 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature