Premium
The effect of dopamine D 4 receptor density on novelty seeking, activity, social interaction, and alcohol binge drinking in adult mice
Author(s) -
Thanos Panayotis K.,
Roushdy Kareema,
Sarwar Zehan,
Rice Onarae,
Ashby Charles R.,
Grandy David K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
synapse
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.809
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1098-2396
pISSN - 0887-4476
DOI - 10.1002/syn.21822
Subject(s) - novelty seeking , receptor , anxiolytic , endocrinology , alcohol , medicine , dopamine , psychology , ethanol , addiction , binge drinking , ventral tegmental area , neuroscience , alcohol consumption , chemistry , biology , dopaminergic , biochemistry , social psychology , personality , temperament
The dopamine D 4 receptor has been postulated to play a role in the pathophysiology of alcoholism. This study examined how varying levels of D 4 expression and their associated behaviors in male and female mice correlate with future alcohol intake. We hypothesized that: (1) mice with low ( Drd4 +/− ) or deficient ( Drd4 −/− ) in D 4 receptors would show enhanced ethanol consumption compared with control mice ( Drd4 +/+ ) , and (2) a specific phenotype in these mice is associated with future vulnerability for alcohol consumption. Individually housed mice were allowed free access to ethanol (20% vv) in the dark (DID). The behaviors measured in male and female mice were: novel object recognition, open‐field locomotor activity, and social interaction. Correlation analyses showed that in male Drd4 −/− mice (relative to Drd4 +/+ controls), anxiolytic behavior was significantly correlated with increased alcohol consumption. Also, in male Drd4 −/− mice, there was a significant positive correlation between increased exploratory behavior and increased alcohol consumption. These findings were not observed in females. In conclusion, our data suggest that the dopamine D 4 receptor gene has an important role in increased exploratory and anxiolytic behavior only in males and these behaviors were positively correlated with increased alcohol consumption. This interaction between sex hormones and dopamine D 4 receptor genotype/function predicting future alcohol abuse and correlation with anxiolytic and exploratory behavior in male mice could have important implications for better understanding of vulnerabilities associated with addiction. Synapse 69:356–364, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.