Astrocyte expression in the extended amygdala of C57BL/6J mice is sex-dependently affected by chronic intermittent and binge-like ethanol exposure

• Published in: Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2023-05, Vol.108, p.55-64
• Main Authors: Brewton, Honoreé W., Robinson, Stacey L., Thiele, Todd E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstinence; Alcohol Drinking - metabolism; Alcohol use; Alcoholism; Amygdala; Animal models; Animals; Anxiety; astrocyte; Astrocytes; binge drinking; Brain; chronic intermittent ethanol; Cognition; Cytokines; Drinking behavior; drinking in the dark; Drinking water; Ethanol; Ethanol - pharmacology; extended amygdala; GFAP; Glial cells; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Glial plasticity; Homeostatic plasticity; Immunohistochemistry; Laboratory animals; Male; Males; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurobiology; Neuronal-glial interactions; Neuroplasticity; Sex; Stria terminalis; Therapeutic targets
• ISSN: 0741-8329; 1873-6823; 1873-6823
• DOI: 10.1016/j.alcohol.2022.12.001

Excessive ethanol drinking is a major problem within the United States, causing alterations in brain plasticity and neurocognitive function. Astrocytes are glial cells that regulate neurosynaptic plasticity, modulate neurochemicals, and monitor other homeostatic roles. Astrocytes have been found to play a part in modulating excessive ethanol consumption. The basolateral amygdala (BLA), central amygdala (CeA), and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) are brain regions that process stress, anxiety, and reward; they are also implicated in modulating ethanol intake. Little is understood, however, about how astrocyte expression in each region is modulated by chronic and binge-like ethanol drinking patterns. In the present report, we utilized two separate animal models of excessive drinking: chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) and “Drinking-in-the-dark” (DID). Following these paradigms, animal brains were processed through immunohistochemistry (IHC) and stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Collected data illustrated a sex-dependent relationship between ethanol intake and GFAP immunoreactivity (IR) in the BLA and BNST, but not in the CeA. Specifically, CIE and DID ethanol drinking resulted in blunted GFAP-IR (specifically via GFAP-positive cell count) in the BLA and BNST, particularly in males. These findings may implicate sex-dependent ethanol-induced changes in BLA and BNST astrocytes, providing a potential therapeutic target for anxiety and stress disorders. •Astrocyte expression is sex-dependently blunted by two models of heavy ethanol use.•Chronic and binge-like drinking affects glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP).•GFAP expression is reduced in the extended amygdala of male, but not female, mice.