Sex differences in α-adrenergic receptor function contribute to impaired hypothalamic metaplasticity following chronic intermittent ethanol exposure.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) exhibit maladaptive responses of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to stress, which has been linked to high rates of relapse to drinking among abstinent individuals. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) parvocellular neuroendocrine cells (PNCs) within the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) are critical to stress-induced HPA axis activation. Here, we investigate sex differences in synaptic transmission and plasticity in PNCs following the application of the stress-associated neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) in a rat model of AUD.

Methods

Adult Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 40 days of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor and 30 to 108 days of protracted withdrawal. We measured chang

SUBMITTER: Munier JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9612407 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature