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Alcohol-related cues may induce relapse to heavy alcohol drinking and promote molecular adaptations in discrete brain regions. An exact nature of these molecular alterations is still unknown. In the present study, rats trained to self-administer ethanol were tested for cue-induced reinstatement of ethanol seeking after 30 days of abstinence. Next, a detailed immunocytochemical analysis of c-Fos activation was performed within seven nuclei of the amygdala. In the second experiment, c-Fos activation after reinstatement of ethanol seeking induced by discrete cues was compared with the activation pattern of its putative partner (c-Jun) and regulators (extracellular signal-regulated kinases and c-Jun N-terminal kinases). Reexposure to ethanol-associated context cues (an extinction session) potentiated c-Fos expression within the basolateral and central amygdala. Repeated presentation of ethanol-associated discrete cues in an extinction/reinstatement session led to even stronger c-Fos activation in the latter nuclei. In the second experiment, reexposure to the ethanol-associated context and discrete cues activated both c-Jun and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in the basolateral amygdala. Our observations suggest that the basolateral and central amygdala may be specifically involved in alcohol-seeking behavior induced by discrete cues.Neuropsychopharmacology (2008) 33, 1835–1846; doi:10.1038/sj.npp.1301567; published online 12 September 2007 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: Neuroimaging studies suggest a significant overlap between brain regions involved in the regulation of olfaction and mood. The aim of the present study was to search for correlations between depressive symptomatology measured by the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and olfactory function assessed with Sniffin' Sticks in non-demented older adults (aged 53–79 years). Methods: Taste detection thresholds were also measured by means of electrogustometry on the anterior tongue. Results: No correlation was found between the GDS scores (range: 0–12) and olfactory thresholds or olfactory identification scores. Similarly, there was no relationship between depressive symptoms and electrogustometric thresholds. Subjects ( n = 25) scoring ≥5 on the GDS were classified as ‘depressed’ and all other individuals ( n = 60) were classified as ‘non-depressed’. The two groups did not differ in terms of the olfactory measures and electrogustometric threshold. Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are not associated with any major olfactory deficit in non-clinical older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate a possible relationship between taste responses to Sweet solutions and alcoholic Status. Methods: The rated intensity and pleasantness of sucrose taste was compared in male alcoholics (n = 45) and non-alcoholic controls (n = 33). Results: The rated intensity, but not pleasantness, of water taste (0% sucrose) was higher in the alcoholics. The two groups did not differ with respect to the rated intensity or pleasantness of sucrose solutions (1-30%). The proportion of sweet-likers, i.e. subjects rating 30% sucrose as most pleasant, was similar in both groups (the controls: 57.6%, the alcoholics: 62.2%). A sub- group of alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (n = 22) rated the highest sucrose concentration as more pleasant compared to alcoholics without alcoholic fathers. The proportion of sweet-likers among the alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism (77.3%) was significantly higher than that found in the alcoholics without a familial history of alcoholism (47.8%). Conclusions: The present results suggest the following: (i) alcohol dependence is not associated with any major alterations in taste responses to sucrose solutions, (ii) sweet liking is a phenotypic marker of male alcoholics with a paternal history of alcoholism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]