Dynorphin/Kappa Opioid Receptor Activity Within the Extended Amygdala Contributes to Stress-Enhanced Alcohol Drinking in Mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While there is high comorbidity of stress-related disorders and alcohol use disorder, few effective treatments are available and elucidating underlying neurobiological mechanisms has been hampered by a general lack of reliable animal models. Here, we use a novel mouse model demonstrating robust and reproducible stress-enhanced alcohol drinking to examine the role of dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (DYN/KOR) activity within the extended amygdala in mediating this stress-alcohol interaction.

Methods

Mice received repeated weekly cycles of chronic intermittent ethanol exposure alternating with weekly drinking sessions ± forced swim stress exposure. Pdyn messenger RNA expression was measured in the central amygdala (CeA), and DYN-expressing CeA neurons were then targe

SUBMITTER: Haun HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9167153 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature