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Ca MKII α –GluA1 Activity Underlies Vulnerability to Adolescent Binge Alcohol Drinking
Author(s) -
Agoglia Abigail E.,
Holstein Sarah E.,
Reid Grant,
Hodge Clyde W.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12819
Subject(s) - binge drinking , vulnerability (computing) , alcohol , alcohol consumption , environmental health , psychology , chemistry , medicine , biochemistry , computer security , computer science
Background Binge drinking during adolescence is associated with increased risk for developing alcohol use disorders; however, the neural mechanisms underlying this liability are unclear. In this study, we sought to determine whether binge drinking alters expression or phosphorylation of 2 molecular mechanisms of neuroplasticity, calcium/calmodulin‐dependent kinase II alpha (Ca MKII α ) and the GluA1 subunit of AMPA receptors ( AMPAR s) in addiction‐associated brain regions. We also asked whether activation of Ca MKII α ‐dependent AMPAR activity escalates binge‐like drinking. Methods To address these questions, Ca MKII α T286 and GluA1 S831 protein phosphorylation and expression were assessed in the amygdala and striatum of adolescent and adult male C57 BL /6J mice immediately after voluntary binge‐like alcohol drinking (blood alcohol >80 mg/dl). In separate mice, effects of the Ca MKII α ‐dependent GluA1 S831 phosphorylation (pGluA1 S831 )‐enhancing drug tianeptine were tested on binge‐like alcohol consumption in both age groups. Results Binge‐like drinking decreased Ca MKII α T286 phosphorylation ( pCaMKII α T286 ) selectively in adolescent amygdala with no effect in adults. Alcohol also produced a trend for reduced pG luA1 S831 expression in adolescent amygdala but differentially increased pG luA1 S831 in adult amygdala. No effects were observed in the nucleus accumbens or dorsal striatum. Tianeptine increased binge‐like alcohol consumption in adolescents but decreased alcohol consumption in adults. Sucrose consumption was similarly decreased by tianeptine pretreatment in both ages. Conclusions These data show that the adolescent and adult amygdalae are differentially sensitive to effects of binge‐like alcohol drinking on plasticity‐linked glutamate signaling molecules. Tianeptine‐induced increases in binge‐like drinking only in adolescents suggest that differential Ca MKII α ‐dependent AMPAR activation may underlie age‐related escalation of binge drinking.