Adolescent alcohol exposure alters GABAA receptor subunit expression in adult hippocampus.

BACKGROUND: The long-term consequences of adolescent alcohol abuse that persist into adulthood are poorly understood and have not been widely investigated. We have shown that intermittent exposure to alcohol during adolescence decreased the amplitude of GABAA receptor (GABAA R)-mediated tonic currents in hippocampal dentate granule cells in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the enduring effects of chronic intermittent alcohol exposure during adolescence or adulthood on the expression of hippocampal GABAA Rs. METHODS: We used a previously characterized tissue fractionation method to isolate detergent resistant membranes and soluble fractions, followed by Western blots to measure GABAA R protein expression. We also measured mRNA levels of GABAA R subunits using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Although the protein levels of α1-, α4-, and δ-GABAA R subunits remained stable between postnatal day (PD) 30 (early adolescence) and PD71 (adulthood), the α5-GABAA R subunit was reduced across that period. In rats that were subjected to adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure between PD30 and PD46, there was a significant reduction in the protein levels of the δ-GABAA R, in the absence of any changes in mRNA levels, at 48 hours and 26 days after the last ethanol (EtOH) exposure. Protein levels of the α4-GABAA R subunit were significantly reduced, but mRNA levels were increased, 26 days (but not 48 hours) after the last AIE exposure. Protein levels of α5-GABAA R were not changed by AIE, but mRNA levels were reduced at 48 hours but normalized 26 days after AIE. In contrast to the effects of AIE, chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure during adulthood had no effect on expression of any of the GABAA R subunits examined. CONCLUSIONS: AIE produced both short- and long-term alterations of GABAA R subunits mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus, whereas CIE produced no long-lasting effects on those measures. The observed reduction of protein levels of the δ-GABAA R, specifically, is consistent with previously reported altered hippocampal GABAA R-mediated electrophysiological responses after AIE. The absence of effects of CIE underscores the emerging view of adolescence as a time of distinctive vulnerability to the enduring effects of repeated EtOH exposure.

Students Advocating for Diversity in Medical Education.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Problem: Innovations within the medical education system often come from administration and leadership, in the traditional top-down approach to preparing students for the actualities of medical practice. There is a dearth of literature showing the power of students to design and advance innovations in this same arena. As incoming classes of students are increasingly more diverse, student efforts for diversity and inclusion initiatives must be explored as avenues to effect positive change within the system. Approach: Medical students at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville (UofSC SOM Greenville) formed the committee known as Student Advocates for Diversity and Inclusion (SADI) in Fall 2017, with the goals of enhancing the curriculum, increasing the visibility of diverse peoples within the medical school and the healthcare system, and supporting the experience of these peoples. Outcomes: The report herein describes the formation of the Student Advocates for Diversity and Inclusion and its initial steps, including the modification of curricular practices and the development of extracurricular programs. Conclusion: SADI may serve as one example of the power of students to transform medical education. Other students and schools can use the committee and its successes and challenges to implement similar programs at their respective institutions, with the goal of achieving diversity and inclusion more broadly across the medical education system.