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Alcohol use disorders can be driven by negative reinforcement. Alterations of the microtubule cytoskeleton have been associated with mood regulation in the context of depression. Notably, MAP4343, a pregnenolone derivative known to promote tubulin assembly, has antidepressant properties. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that MAP4343 may reduce excessive alcohol drinking in a mouse model of alcohol dependence by normalizing affect during withdrawal. Adult male C57BL/6J mice were given limited access to voluntary alcohol drinking and ethanol intake escalation was induced by chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) vapor inhalation. Chronic, but not acute, administration of MAP4343 reduced ethanol intake and this effect was more pronounced in CIE-exposed mice. There was a complex interaction between the effects of MAP4343 and alcohol on affective behaviors. In the elevated plus maze, chronic MAP4343 tended to increase open-arm exploration in alcohol-naive mice but reduced it in alcohol-withdrawn mice. In the tail suspension test, chronic MAP4343 reduced immobility selectively in Air-exposed alcohol-drinking mice. Finally, chronic MAP4343 countered the plasma corticosterone reduction induced by CIE. Parallel analysis of tubulin post-translational modifications revealed lower α-tubulin acetylation in the medial prefrontal cortex of CIE-withdrawn mice. Altogether, these data support the relevance of microtubules as a therapeutic target for the treatment of AUD., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

The hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) neuropeptide system regulates feeding, arousal state, stress responses, and reward, especially under conditions of enhanced motivational relevance. In particular, HCRT neurotransmission facilitates drug-seeking behavior in circumstances that demand increased effort and/or motivation to take the drug. The present study used a shRNA-encoding adeno-associated viral vector to knockdown Hcrt expression throughout the dorsal hypothalamus in adult rats and determine the role of HCRT in cocaine self-administration. Chronic Hcrt silencing did not impact cocaine self-administration under short-access conditions, but robustly attenuated cocaine intake under extended access conditions, a model that mimics key features of compulsive cocaine taking. In addition, Hcrt silencing decreased motivation for both cocaine and a highly palatable food reward (i.e., sweetened condensed milk; SCM) under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement, but did not alter responding for SCM under a fixed ratio schedule. Importantly, Hcrt silencing did not affect food or water consumption, and had no consequence for general measures of arousal and stress reactivity. At the molecular level, chronic Hcrt knockdown reduced the number of neurons expressing dynorphin (DYN), and to a smaller extent melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), in the dorsal hypothalamus. These original findings support the hypothesis that HCRT neurotransmission promotes operant responding for both drug and non-drug rewards, preferentially under conditions requiring a high degree of motivation. Furthermore, the current study provides compelling evidence for the involvement of the HCRT system in cocaine self-administration also under low-effort conditions in rats allowed extended access, possibly via functional interactions with DYN and MCH signaling.

The hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) system has been associated with both positive and negative drug reinforcement, implicating HCRT receptor 1 (HCRT-R1) signaling in drug-related behaviors for all major drug classes, including opioids. However, to date there are limited studies investigating the role of HCRT receptor 2 (HCRT-R2) signaling in compulsive-like drug seeking. Escalation of drug intake with extended access has been suggested to model the transition from controlled drug use to compulsive-like drug seeking/taking. The current study examined the effects of a HCRT-R2 antagonist, NBI-80713, on heroin self-administration in rats allowed short- (1 h; ShA) or long- (12 h; LgA) access to intravenous heroin self-administration. Results indicate that systemically administered NBI-80713 dose-dependently decreased heroin self-administration in LgA, but not in ShA, animals. Quantitative PCR analyses showed an increase in Hcrtr2 mRNA levels in the central amygdala, a stress-related brain region, of LgA rats. These observations suggest a functional role for HCRT-R2 signaling in compulsive-like heroin self-administration associated with extended access and indicate HCRT-R2 antagonism as a potential pharmacological target for the treatment of heroin dependence.

Exposure to stress triggers hormonal and behavioral responses. It has been shown that the endogenous opioid system plays a role in some physiological reactions to stress. The opioid system was described to mediate analgesia induced by mild stressors and to modulate the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Our study assessed the contribution of opioid receptors in stress-induced analgesia and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone release by a genetic approach. We performed a parallel analysis of mice deficient in mu, delta, or kappa opioid receptors, as well as of triple opioid receptor knockout mice, following exposure to a mild stress (3-min swim at 32 degrees C). In wild-type mice, stress elicited an increase in jumping latency on the hot plate, which was influenced by gender and genetic background. This analgesic response was reversed both by naloxone and by the triple mutation, and decreased in mu and delta opioid receptor knockout females. In wild-type females, stress also delayed front- and hindpaw behaviors in the hot plate test and increased tail-flick latency in the tail immersion test. Opioid receptor deletion however did not affect these stress responses. In addition, stress produced an increase in ACTH and corticosterone plasma levels. This endocrine response remained unchanged in all mutant strains. Therefore our data indicate that, under our stress conditions, the endogenous opioid system is recruited to produce some analgesia whereas it does not influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity. This implies that brain circuits mediating analgesic and hormonal responses to stress can be dissociated.