Divergent Roles of APOAI and APOM in the Identification of Alcohol Use Disorder and Their Association With Inflammation and Cognitive Decline: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) courses with inflammation and cognitive decline. Apolipoproteins have emerged as novel target compounds related to inflammatory processes and cognition. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed on abstinent AUD patients with at least 1 month of abstinence (n = 33; 72.7% men) and healthy controls (n = 34; 47.1% men). A battery of plasma apolipoproteins (APOAI, APOAII, APOB, APOCII, APOE, APOJ, and APOM), plasma inflammatory markers (LPS, LBP), and their influence on cognition and presence of the disorder were investigated. RESULTS: Higher levels of plasma APOAI, APOB, APOE, and APOJ, as well as the proinflammatory LPS, were observed in the AUD group, irrespective of sex, whereas APOM levels were lower vs controls. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses, adjusting for covariates (age, sex, education), associated APOM with the absence of cognitive impairment in AUD and identified APOAI and APOM as strong predictors of the presence or absence of the disorder, respectively. APOAI and APOM did not correlate with alcohol abuse variables or liver status markers, but they showed an opposite profile in their associations with LPS (positive for APOAI; negative for APOM) and cognition (negative for APOAI; positive for APOM) in the entire sample. CONCLUSIONS: The HDL constituents APOAI and APOM were differentially regulated in the plasma of AUD patients compared with controls, playing divergent roles in the disorder identification and associations with inflammation and cognitive decline.

Reelin Plasma Levels Identify Cognitive Decline in Alcohol Use Disorder Patients During Early Abstinence: The Influence of APOE4 Expression.

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (APOE)-4 isoform, reelin, and clusterin share very-low-density liporeceptor and apolipoprotein E receptor 2 receptors and are related to cognition in neuropsychiatric disorders. These proteins are expressed in plasma and brain, but studies involving plasma expression and cognition are scarce. METHODS: We studied the peripheral expression (plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells) of these proteins in 24 middle-aged patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) diagnosed at 4 to 12 weeks of abstinence (t = 0) and 34 controls. Cognition was assessed using the Test of Detection of Cognitive Impairment in Alcoholism. In a follow-up study (t = 1), we measured reelin levels and evaluated cognitive improvement at 6 months of abstinence. RESULTS: APOE4 isoform was present in 37.5% and 58.8% of patients and controls, respectively, reaching similar plasma levels in ε4 carriers regardless of whether they were patients with AUD or controls. Plasma reelin and clusterin were higher in the AUD group, and reelin levels peaked in patients expressing APOE4 (P < .05, η2 = 0.09), who showed reduced very-low-density liporeceptor and apolipoprotein E receptor 2 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. APOE4 had a negative effect on memory/learning mainly in the AUD group (P < .01, η2 = 0.15). Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified plasma reelin as a good indicator of AUD cognitive impairment at t = 0. At t = 1, patients with AUD showed lower reelin levels vs controls along with some cognitive improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Reelin plasma levels are elevated during early abstinence in patients with AUD who express the APOE4 isoform, identifying cognitive deterioration to a great extent, and it may participate as a homeostatic signal for cognitive recovery in the long term.

Improved synthesis of DA364, an NIR fluorescence RGD probe targeting αvß3 integrin.

Optical imaging (OI) is gaining increasing attention in medicine as a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technology and as a useful tool for image-guided surgery. OI exploits the light emitted in the near-infrared region by fluorescent molecules able to penetrate living tissues. Cyanines are an important class of fluorescent molecules and by their conjugation to peptides it is possible to achieve optical imaging of tumours by selective targeting. We report here the improvements obtained in the synthesis of DA364, a small fluorescent probe (1.5 kDa) prepared by conjugation of pentamethine cyanine Cy5.5 to an RGD peptidomimetic, which can target tumour cells overexpressing integrin αvß3 receptors.

Abrupt cessation of reboxetine along alcohol deprivation results in alcohol intake escalation after reinstatement of drinking.

Major depression (MD) is a frequent comorbidity in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. Antidepressant prescription is often limited by poor clinical outcomes or unwanted side effects in comorbid AUD-MD patients. Recent studies suggest that abrupt cessation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressant treatment increases alcohol consumption after an alcohol deprivation period in rats. However, the appearance of this effect after the treatment with selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) is not known. Here, we report that interruption of subchronic (14 days) treatment with the SNRIs reboxetine (15 mg/kg/day intraperitoneally) resulted in escalation of ethanol intake when the animals resume alcohol self-administration. This effect of reboxetine treatment cessation was associated with a profound deactivation of the endocannabinoid/acylethanolamide signaling system in the prefrontal cortex but not in the dorsal hippocampus, as reflected by the decrease in the protein expression of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor, the PPARα receptor, the 2-arachidonoylglycerol synthesizing enzymes DAGLα and DGALß, and the endocanabinoid degrading enzyme MAGL. This was associated with dysregulation of the expression of glutamic acid receptors GluN1, GluA1, and mGlu5 in the medial prefrontal cortex and the dorsal hippocampus of the animals exposed to reboxetine. The present results further support the idea that abrupt cessation of antidepressant therapy along alcohol deprivation time can boost alcohol intake after relapse through mechanisms associated with endocannabinoid/glutamate signaling dysregulation. This finding might be relevant for patients suffering AUD/MD comorbidity where antidepressant therapy must be monitored with caution for avoiding unwanted side effects if adherence to the treatment is not fully achieved.

Antianhedonic and Antidepressant Effects of Affron®, a Standardized Saffron (Crocus Sativus L.) Extract.

Anxiety and depression have high prevalence in the general population, affecting millions of people worldwide, but there is still a need for effective and safe treatments. Nutritional supplements have recently received a lot of attention, particularly saffron. Thus, several pre-clinical studies support a beneficial role for bioactive compounds, such as saffron, in anxiety and depression. Here we used an animal model of depression based on social isolation to assess the effects of affron®, a standardized saffron extract containing ≥3.5% of total bioactive compounds safranal and crocin isomers. Affron® was administered both through the oral and the intraperitoneal routes, and several tasks related to anxiety and depression, such as the elevated plus maze, the forced swimming test or the sucrose preference test, were assessed. These tasks model key features of depressive states and anxious states relating to fear, behavioral despair or anhedonia, the lack of motivation and/or pleasure from everyday activities, respectively. Animals receiving oral affron® displayed behaviors congruent with improvements in their anxious/depressive state, showing the enhanced consumption of a sweet solution, as well as an increase in certain escape responses in the forced swimming test. Our data support a beneficial role for oral saffron in anxious/depressive states.

Sex-Dimorphic Behavioral Alterations and Altered Neurogenesis in U12 Intron Splicing-Defective Zrsr1 Mutant Mice.

Mutant mice with respect to the splicing factor Zrsr1 present altered spermatogenesis and infertility. To investigate whether Zrsr1 is involved in the homeostatic control that the hypothalamus exerts over reproductive functions, we first analyzed both differential gene and isoform expression and alternative splicing alterations in Zrsr1 mutant (Zrsr1mu) hypothalamus; second, we analyzed the spontaneous and social behavior of Zrsr1mu mice; and third, we analyzed adult cell proliferation and survival in the Zrsr1mu hypothalamus. The Zrsr1mu hypothalamus showed altered expression of genes and isoforms related to the glutathione metabolic process, synaptonemal complex assembly, mRNA transport, and altered splicing events involving the enrichment of U12-type intron retention (IR). Furthermore, increased IR in U12-containing genes related with the prolactin, progesterone, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) reproductive signaling pathway was observed. This was associated with a hyperactive phenotype in both males and females, with an anxious phenotype in females, and with increased social interaction in males, instead of the classical aggressive behavior. In addition, Zrsr1mu females but not males exhibited reduced cell proliferation in both the hypothalamus and the subventricular zone. Overall, these results suggest that Zrsr1 expression and function are relevant to organization of the hypothalamic cell network controlling behavior.

Young alcohol binge drinkers have elevated blood endotoxin, peripheral inflammation and low cortisol levels: neuropsychological correlations in women.

Alcohol binge drinking is a pattern of heavy alcohol consumption that is increasingly practiced by adolescents and young adults. Evidence indicates that alcohol binges induce peripheral inflammation and an exacerbated neuroimmune response that may participate in alcohol-induced cognitive/behavioral dysfunctions. Here, we recruited 20-year-old male and female university students who were identified as binge drinkers for at least 2 years. Compared with controls, young alcohol binge drinkers had elevated levels of blood endotoxin and upregulated markers of the toll-like receptor 4/NF-κB inflammatory pathway in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, together with pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine release, oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. These changes positively correlate with the estimated blood alcohol levels achieved during alcohol binge intoxication and negatively correlate with the time elapsed from the last alcohol consumption. The immune/inflammatory changes were more prominent in female drinkers, who showed elevated levels of alcohol danger-associated molecules, such as high mobility group box 1, indicating that there are sex-related differences in the peripheral inflammatory response to alcohol. In contrast, cortisol levels were decreased in alcohol binge drinkers. Finally, higher levels of inflammatory markers, mainly monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, as well as LPS, high mobility group box 1, toll-like receptor 4, IL-6 and ciclooxygenase-2, correlated with worse scores on episodic memory and executive functioning tasks in female binge drinkers but not in male binge drinkers. These results emphasize possible risky consequences of alcohol use in binge episodes during young adulthood and call attention to sex-related differences in the alcohol-induced immune/inflammatory and neurocognitive responses.

Increased plasma oleoylethanolamide and palmitoleoylethanolamide levels correlate with inflammatory changes in alcohol binge drinkers: the case of HMGB1 in women.

Alcohol binge drinking is a heavy pattern of alcohol consumption increasingly used by young people. In a previous study, we reported that young drinkers with a 2-year history of binge alcohol consumption had an overactivation of the innate immune system and peripheral inflammation when compared with controls. In the present study, we measured several biolipids that are fatty acid derivatives belonging to the acylethanolamide or 2-acylglycerol families in the plasma of the same subjects (n = 42; 20 men and 22 women). We found that during abstinence, alcohol binge drinkers had elevated plasma levels of oleoylethanolamide, palmitoleoylethanolamide, arachidonoylethanolamide, dihomo-γ-linolenoyl ethanolamide and linoleoyl ethanolamide, which positively correlated with changes in the mRNA expression of key inflammatory markers in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, such as toll-like receptors (TLR4), pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, and cyclooxygenase-2. Additionally, plasma oleoylethanolamide positively correlated with plasma levels of high mobility group box-1, which is a danger-associated molecular pattern and an endogenous TLR4 agonist, specifically in female alcohol binge drinkers. No changes were observed in 2-acylglycerols in alcohol binge drinkers, although sex-related differences in these bioactive lipids as well as in palmitoleoylethanolamide and docosatetraenoylethanolamide levels were detected. These results extend the previous clinical findings observed in patients diagnosed with long-term alcohol use disorder to young users and suggest a prominent role for these lipids in the response to acute alcohol exposure.

Oleoylethanolamide prevents neuroimmune HMGB1/TLR4/NF-kB danger signaling in rat frontal cortex and depressive-like behavior induced by ethanol binge administration.

Alcohol abuse is frequently characterized by a specific pattern of intake in binge drinking episodes, inducing neuroinflammation and brain damage. Here, we characterized the temporal profile of neuroinflammation in rats exposed to intragastric binge ethanol administrations (3 times/day × 4 days) and tested the anti-inflammatory/neuroprotective properties of the satiety factor oleoylethanolamide (OEA). Pre-treatment with OEA (5 mg/kg, i.p.) previous each alcohol gavage blocked the expression of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) danger signal and the innate immunity Toll-like receptors 4 (TLR4) in frontal cortex, and inhibited the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) proinflammatory cascade induced by alcohol binge administration. OEA reduced the levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß), the monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), and the enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in ethanol binged animals. Elevations in plasma tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-1ß after ethanol were also inhibited by OEA. OEA also prevented ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation, caspase-8 and pro-apoptotic caspase-3 activation in frontal cortex. Additionally, OEA blocked the rise in blood corticosterone levels after ethanol with no alteration in blood ethanol levels and may affect ethanol-induced gut permeability for endotoxin. Finally, OEA, administered as a pre-treatment during the ethanol binge, exerted antidepressant-like effects during acute withdrawal. Altogether, results highlight a beneficial profile of OEA as a potent anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, neuroprotective and antidepressant-like compound to treat alcohol abuse.

Plasma concentrations of oleoylethanolamide and other acylethanolamides are altered in alcohol-dependent patients: effect of length of abstinence.

Acylethanolamides are a family of endogenous lipid mediators that are involved in physiological and behavioral processes associated with addiction. Recently, oleoylethanolamide (OEA) has been reported to reduce alcohol intake and relapse in rodents but the contribution of OEA and other acylethanolamides in alcohol addiction in humans is unknown. The present study is aimed to characterize the plasma acylethanolamides in alcohol dependence. Seventy-nine abstinent alcohol-dependent subjects (27 women) recruited from outpatient treatment programs and age-/sex-/body mass-matched healthy volunteers (28 women) were clinically assessed with the diagnostic interview PRISM according to the DSM-IV-TR after blood extraction for quantification of acylethanolamide concentrations in the plasma. Our results indicate that all acylethanolamides were significantly increased in alcohol-dependent patients compared with control subjects (p < 0.001). A logistic model based on these acylethanolamides was developed to distinguish alcohol-dependent patients from controls and included OEA, arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA) and docosatetraenoylethanolamide (DEA), providing a high discriminatory power according to area under the curve [AUC = 0.92 (95%CI: 0.87-0.96), p < 0.001]. Additionally, we found a significant effect of the duration of alcohol abstinence on the concentrations of OEA, AEA and DEA using a regression model (p < 0.05, p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively), which was confirmed by a negative correlation (rho = -0.31, -0.40 and -0.44, respectively). However, acylethanolamides were not influenced by the addiction alcohol severity, duration of problematic alcohol use or diagnosis of psychiatric comorbidity. Our results support the preclinical studies and suggest that OEA, AEA and DEA are altered in alcohol-dependence during abstinence and that might act as potential markers for predicting length of alcohol abstinence.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Physicochemical Characterization of Tetrafuranylporphyrin-Grafted Reduced-Graphene Oxide.

This work describes the design of a modified porphyrin that bears four furan rings linked by 1,2-bis-(2-aminoethoxy)ethane spacers. This unit is a well-suited scaffold for a Diels-Alder reaction with commercial reduced-graphene oxide, which is also described in this paper. A new hybrid material is obtained, thanks to efficient grafting under microwave irradiation, and fully characterized in terms of structure (UV, TGA, Raman) and morphology (HR-TEM and AFM). Potential applications in photo- and sonodynamic therapy are envisaged.

Role of the satiety factor oleoylethanolamide in alcoholism.

Oleoylethanolamide (OEA) is a satiety factor that controls motivational responses to dietary fat. Here we show that alcohol administration causes the release of OEA in rodents, which in turn reduces alcohol consumption by engaging peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-α). This effect appears to rely on peripheral signaling mechanisms as alcohol self-administration is unaltered by intracerebral PPAR-α agonist administration, and the lesion of sensory afferent fibers (by capsaicin) abrogates the effect of systemically administered OEA on alcohol intake. Additionally, OEA is shown to block cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior (an animal model of relapse) and reduce the severity of somatic withdrawal symptoms in alcohol-dependent animals. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a homeostatic role for OEA signaling in the behavioral effects of alcohol exposure and highlight OEA as a novel therapeutic target for alcohol use disorders and alcoholism.

Effects of synchronous and asynchronous embryo transfer on postnatal development, adult health, and behavior in mice.

Asynchronous embryo transfer (ET) is a common assisted reproduction technique used in several species, but its biological effects on postnatal and early development remain unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether asynchronous ET produces long-term effects in mice. Postnatal development, animal weight, systolic blood pressure (SBP), relative organ weight (liver, spleen, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, and testicles), and behavior (assessed in open-field and elevated plus maze tests) were assessed in CD1 mice produced by different ET procedures: 1) the transfer of Day 3.5 (D3.5) blastocysts to the uterus (BL-UT); 2) the transfer of D3.5 blastocysts to the oviduct (BL-OV); or 3) the transfer of D0.5 zygotes to the oviduct (Z-OV). In vivo conceived animals served as controls (CT). The transfer of blastocysts to the uterus or zygotes to the oviduct was defined as synchronous, and transfer of blastocysts to the oviduct was defined as asynchronous. Both synchronous and asynchronous ET resulted in increased weight at birth that normalized thereafter with the exception of asynchronous ET females. In this group, female BL-OV, a clear lower body weight was recorded along postnatal life when compared with controls (P < 0.05). No effects on animal weight were produced during postnatal development in the synchronous ET groups (BL-UT, Z-OV, and CT). Both synchronous and asynchronous ET had impacts on adult (Wk 30) organ weight. SBP was modified in animals derived from blastocyst but not zygote ET. Effects on behavior (anxiety in the plus maze) were only detected in the BL-UT group (P < 0.05). Our findings indicate that zygotes are less sensitive than blastocysts to ET and that both synchronous and asynchronous blastocyst ET may have long-term consequences on health, with possible impacts on weight, arterial pressure, relative organ weight, and behavior.

Hyperplastic obesity and liver steatosis as long-term consequences of suboptimal in vitro culture of mouse embryos.

In the present study, we identify and describe an obese phenotype in mice as a long-term consequence of a suboptimal in vitro culture that resulted from the addition of fetal calf serum (FCS) into the culture medium. Mice produced with FCS displayed a high mortality rate (approximately 55% versus 15% in control mice within 20 mo) and increased sensitivity to the development of obesity in adulthood when fed either a standard or a high-fat diet. These mice developed hyperplastic obesity that was characterized by a significant expansion of the fat pads (approximately 25% and 32% higher body weight in male and female mice over controls, respectively) with unchanged adipocyte size. We observed a sexual dimorphism in the development of obesity in the mice produced with FCS. Whereas the female mice displayed hypertension, hyperleptinemia, and fatty liver, the male mice only displayed glucose intolerance. The mRNA expression of metabolically relevant genes in the adipose tissue was also affected. The males produced with FCS expressed higher mRNA levels of the genes that activate fatty acid oxidation (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha [Ppara, PPARalpha] and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 [Acox1, ACOX1]) and thermogenesis (uncoupling protein 1 [Ucp1, UCP1]), which may counteract the metabolic phenotype. Conversely, the females produced with FCS generally expressed lower levels of these metabolic genes. In the females, the obese phenotype was associated with inhibition of the lipogenic pathway (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma [Pparg, PPARgamma] and fatty acid synthase [Fasn, FAS]), indicating a saturation of the storage capacity of the adipose tissue. Overall, our data indicate that the exposure to suboptimal in vitro culture conditions can lead to the sexually dimorphic development of obesity in adulthood.

Systemic administration of oleoylethanolamide protects from neuroinflammation and anhedonia induced by LPS in rats.

BACKGROUND: The acylethanolamides oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide are endogenous lipid mediators with proposed neuroprotectant properties in central nervous system (CNS) pathologies. The precise mechanisms remain partly unknown, but growing evidence suggests an antiinflammatory/antioxidant profile. METHODS: We tested whether oleoylethanolamide/palmitoylethanolamide (10 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuate neuroinflammation and acute phase responses (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis stress axis activation, thermoregulation, and anhedonia) induced by lipopolysaccharide (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) in rats. RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide increased mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1ß, and interleukin-6, nuclear transcription factor-κB activity, and the expression of its inhibitory protein IκBα in cytoplasm, the inducible isoforms of nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2, microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase mRNA, and proinflammatory prostaglandin E2 content in frontal cortex 150 minutes after administration. As a result, the markers of nitrosative/oxidative stress nitrites (NO2(-)) and malondialdehyde were increased. Pretreatment with oleoylethanolamide/ palmitoylethanolamide reduced plasma tumor necrosis factor-α levels after lipopolysaccharide, but only oleoylethanolamide significantly reduced brain tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA. Oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide prevented lipopolysaccharide-induced nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB)/IκBα upregulation in nuclear and cytosolic extracts, respectively, the expression of inducible isoforms of nitric oxide synthase, cyclooxygenase-2, and microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase and the levels of prostaglandin E2. Additionally, both acylethanolamides reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative/nitrosative stress. Neither oleoylethanolamide nor palmitoylethanolamide modified plasma corticosterone levels after lipopolysaccharide, but both acylethanolamides reduced the expression of hypothalamic markers of thermoregulation interleukin-1ß, cyclooxygenase-2, and prostaglandin E2, and potentiated the hypothermic response after lipopolysaccharide. Interestingly, only oleoylethanolamide disrupted lipopolysaccharide-induced anhedonia in a saccharine preference test. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that oleoylethanolamide and palmitoylethanolamide have antiinflammatory/neuroprotective properties and suggest a role for these acylethanolamides as modulators of CNS pathologies with a neuroinflammatory component.

The administration of atomoxetine during alcohol deprivation induces a time-limited increase in alcohol consumption after relapse.

The administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) typically used as antidepressants increases alcohol consumption after an alcohol deprivation period in rats. However, the appearance of this effect after the treatment with selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) has not been studied. In the present work we examined the effects of a 15-d treatment with the SNRI atomoxetine (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.) in male rats trained to drink alcohol solutions in a 4-bottle choice test. The treatment with atomoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) during an alcohol deprivation period increased alcohol consumption after relapse. This effect only lasted one week, disappearing thereafter. Treatment with atomoxetine did not cause a behavioral sensitized response to a challenge dose of amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.), indicating the absence of a supersensitive dopaminergic transmission. This effect is markedly different from that of SSRI antidepressants that produced both long-lasting increases in alcohol consumption and behavioral sensitization. Clinical implications are discussed.

Changes of attentional bias in patients with alcohol use disorder during abstinence: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is linked to an attentional bias towards alcohol-related cues (e.g. images, smells), which acquire incentive properties and promote continued consumption. METHOD: We investigated how the general and alcohol attentional bias evolved longitudinally in AUD patients along two periods of abstinence: t = 0 (baseline, 1-3 months of abstinence) and t = 1 (follow-up; 6 months of abstinence), as well as their relationship with alcohol-related variables. General and alcohol-specific attentional bias were evaluated by the Classic and the Alcohol Stroop tests (neutral and alcohol conditions) in abstinent AUD patients and controls. RESULTS: At t = 0, the AUD group exhibited both general and alcohol-specific attentional biases, with greater effect in the general bias. At t = 1, alcohol-specific attentional bias decreased specifically in the AUD group and reached control levels (with interference index levels increasing from 1-3 months to 6 months). However, general attentional bias showed a trend toward improvement but it did not significantly change through abstinence process (linear mixed models, controlling for age, BMI, sex and education). CONCLUSIONS: In AUD patients, general and alcohol attentional biases exhibit different trajectories during abstinence, with the attentional bias toward alcohol improving significantly throughout this process whereas general attentional bias is maintained.

Increased alcohol consumption in rats after subchronic antidepressant treatment.

The use of antidepressants for alcoholism in humans has been a matter of controversy in recent years. Despite the existence of an important co-morbidity for depression and alcoholism, some studies suggest that the use of antidepressants could worsen the prognosis of alcoholism. However, there is a lack of studies in animal models exploring this phenomenon. In the present study, we show how the 15-d treatment with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) or venlafaxine (50 mg/kg) affected alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) and subsequent alcohol consumption. Initially, fluoxetine reduced ADE and venlafaxine did not affect it. However, in the following days, both antidepressants increased alcohol consumption, an effect that was found to last at least 5 wk. Fluoxetine treatment was shown to cause a locomotor sensitized response to a challenge dose of amphetamine (0.5 mg/kg), indicating the presence of a supersensitive dopaminergic transmission. In summary, antidepressant treatment may increase alcohol consumption in rats after a period of alcohol deprivation and this could be related to alterations in the reward circuitry. This finding confirms in an animal model previous reports in humans that may limit the use of antidepressants for alcoholism.

Alcohol binge drinking induces downregulation of blood-brain barrier proteins in the rat frontal cortex -but not in the hippocampus- that is not prevented by OEA pretreatment.

Alcohol binge drinking promotes neuroinflammation which could be partially mediated by the passage of ABD-induced peripheral inflammatory molecules to the brain parenchyma through the blood-brain barrier. The BBB is sealed by tight junction proteins, which regulate the access of substances to the brain. Whether ABD alters the BBB or not remains controversial. Here, we measured the expression of BBB proteins in frontal cortex and hippocampus after an ABD procedure that was previously shown to induce neuroinflammation in the FC, and checked neuroinflammation in the hippocampus. Oleoylethanolamide is known to inhibit ABD-induced neuroinflammation in rat FC but the mechanisms of action are not clear: whereas OEA protects against alcohol-induced breakdown of the TJ proteins in the gut barrier reducing peripheral inflammation, its effect in the TJ of the BBB remains unknown. Here, we studied whether OEA (5 mg/kg, before each gavage) prevented alcohol-induced BBB dysfunction by measuring the expression of zona-occludens, occludin, and laminin in FC and hippocampus. ABD animals showed reduced laminin and occludin levels in the FC, indicative of BBB dysfunction, which is concordant with previous findings showing ABD-induced neuroinflammation in this brain region. OEA did not prevent ABD-induced changes in the BBB proteins in the FC, suggesting that the OEA main mechanism of action to inhibit neuroinflammation in this brain region is not related to prevention of TJ proteins alteration in the BBB. In the hippocampus, this ABD protocol did not alter BBB protein levels and no markers of neuroinflammation were found elevated.