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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]

alpha-Synuclein is a presynaptic protein proposed to serve as a negative regulator of dopaminergic neurotransmission. Recent research has implicated alpha-synuclein in chronic neuroadaptations produced by psychostimulant and opiate use, as well as in genetically determined susceptibility to alcoholism in humans. The aim of our study was to characterize the changes in alpha-synuclein expression after short-term abstinence from chronic alcohol drinking in mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were allowed to drink increasing concentrations of alcohol in the two-bottle choice procedure. Then the mice were given constant access to an 8% alcohol solution and water for 32 days, and were sacrificed 2 h, 24 h or 48 h after alcohol withdrawal. RT-PCR, in situ hybridization and Western blotting techniques were used to measure alpha-synuclein mRNA and protein levels in the brain and blood. alpha-Synuclein protein levels were elevated by up to 80% in the amygdala of mice withdrawn from alcohol for 24 h or 48 h. No changes in alpha-synuclein levels were found in the mesencephalon or striatum/accumbens. The levels of alpha-synuclein mRNA remained unchanged in all brain regions examined (the striatum, nucleus accumbens, amygdala, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area). alpha-Synuclein mRNA was up-regulated in the whole blood 48 h after alcohol withdrawal. The accumulation of alpha-synuclein in the amygdala, observed in this study, seems to be a common feature of alcohol and opiate abstinence. This finding suggests a role of alpha-synuclein in common neuroadaptations produced by long-term alcohol and drug use. Although alpha-synuclein expression in the blood seems unrelated to that in the brain, it may serve as a peripheral biomarker of chronic alcohol consumption.

Introduction: Esthesioneuroblastoma is a malignant tumour arising from the olfactory epithelium located in the upper part of the nasal cavities. Recent clinical and preclinical studies shed more light on etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare malignancy., Material and Methods: A systematic review of PubMed/Medline and available Polish literature., Results: Molecular studies indicate basal progenitor cells of the olfactory epithelium as the origin of esthesioneuroblastoma. Tumour symptoms are related to its location and typically include: epistaxis, nasal obstruction, olfactory and ophtalmic disturbances as well as craniofacial pain. Esthesioneuroblastoma should be differentiated from embryonic rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, melanoma, lymphoma, and pericytoma. A combination of surgery and radiotherapy seems to be the optimum approach to treatment. More aggressive treatment regimens are promising but require further studies., Conclusions: Esthesioneuroblastoma is a rare malignant tumour arising from the olfactory epithelium. Early diagnosis and interdisciplinary approach to treatment is vital in the management of the tumour.