| 1. |
- Bendre, Megha
(author)
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Predictors of Alcohol Misuse : Role of MAOA Genotype, Methylation, Transcription, and Negative and Positive Environmental factors
- 2019
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Alcohol misuse is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Gene-environment interactions contribute to the risk or resilience for AUD. A functional polymorphism in the promoter of the monoamine oxidase A gene (MAOA-uVNTR), in interaction with negative environment (Eneg), is associated with alcohol misuse and AUD. Men carrying short (MAOA-S), and women carrying long (MAOA-L), MAOA-uVNTR alleles who experienced maltreatment or poor parent-child relationships are at increased susceptibility to alcohol misuse and AUD. This thesis assessed whether the association of MAOAxEneg with the risk of AUD is moderated by MAOA methylation or positive environment and whether MAOA methylation-associated changes in MAOA expression in the stress- and reward-related brain regions is an underlying mechanism.The thesis reveals that the association of MAOAxEneg with alcohol misuse is moderated by MAOA methylation in men, but not in women. In the clinical sample, men carrying MAOA-S allele who experienced maltreatment and had low MAOA methylation displayed higher alcohol-related problems than those without maltreatment or MAOA-L carriers with and without maltreatment. Furthermore, the quality of the parent–child relationship moderated the association of MAOAxEneg with alcohol misuse in a sex- and AUD stage-dependent manner. In the non-clinical sample of adolescents, girls carrying MAOA-L allele who experienced maltreatment and poor parent–child relationship displayed higher alcohol consumption, whereas those with average or good parent–child relationship had lower alcohol consumption. In the clinical sample of adolescents, however, no such association was observed. These results suggest that a good parent–child relationship protects MAOA susceptibility genotype carriers exposed to maltreatment during the early stages of alcohol use. The preclinical studies revealed that the male rats exposed to Eneg and alcohol had higher CpG-specific Maoa promoter methylation, which was associated with lower Maoa expression in the nucleus accumbens than the control rats. Thus, MAOA methylation-associated changes in MAOA expression in the nucleus accumbens might mediate the effect of environment on alcohol use.The thesis contributes to the understanding of biological mechanisms underlying MAOAxEnvironment effect and the critical role of MAOA methylation and positive environment in moderating risk and resilience for AUD. Also, the identification of subgroups may benefit from personalised interventions for AUD.
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| 2. |
- Lundberg, Stina, 1990-
(author)
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Adolescent behavior : Links to early-life stress and alcohol in male and female rats
- 2020
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Adolescence is an important developmental phase with large changes in behavior, physiology and neurobiology, which transform an individual from immature child to independent adult. Due to these changes, adolescence is a sensitive period for exposure to environmental factors such as stress and drug exposure; it is also a common age of onset for alcohol consumption as well as several psychiatric disorders. Despite these factors, less is known about this developmental period than regarding adult individuals. Behavior is regulated by the central nervous system and can be used as a lens to study these processes as well as for examination of associations between individual differences, early-life stress and alcohol. The aim of this thesis was to experimentally examine adolescent behavior and its links to early-life stress and alcohol in adolescent male and female rats. Different behavioral tests were used to profile adolescent animals together with animal models of early-life stress, voluntary alcohol consumption and alcohol exposure. In addition, stress responsiveness after early-life stress and the impact of alcohol exposure on endogenous opioid peptide levels as well as blood alcohol concentrations were examined. The adolescent behavioral profile in the multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) was characterized and validated against the elevated plus maze and open field tests. The main finding was subgroups based on individual variation that revealed three distinct behavioral types: Explorers, Shelter seekers and Main type animals. This pattern was replicated in an additional, independent cohort. Early-life stress, modelled by prolonged maternal separation, showed small effects on behavior in the MCSF and on social play behavior. However, an effect on stress responsiveness in males but not females subjected to prolonged maternal separation was discovered. Predisposition for high alcohol consumption did not have a shared behavioral profile among selectively bred rat lines. However, a subgroup of high drinking individuals in an outbred cohort showed behavioral similarities to one of the selectively bred lines. Alcohol exposure showed small, but sex-dependent, effects on behavior and endogenous opioid peptide levels. Together, these studies provide new information about adolescent behavior and associations to early-life stress and alcohol in males and females, relationships not extensively studied in adolescence.
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| 3. |
- Granholm, Linnea
(author)
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Neurobiological Consequences of Social Conditions and Alcohol Exposure in Adolescent rats
- 2015
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Adolescence represents a time of extensive reorganisation and maturation of brain circuits involved in emotions, motivation and cognition and it is a period particular sensitive for external stimuli. External stimuli can be both socio-environmental factors and exposure to exogenous compounds such as drugs of abuse (e.g. alcohol). If these stimuli are of an adverse nature the probability of develop neuropsychiatric diseases or addiction is increased. To study the neurobiological consequences of adverse events during adolescence animal models are crucial since they give the opportunity of providing an environment where the exposure of the stimuli is controlled and also enable a detailed analysis of the effects in the brain. The overall aim of in this thesis was to investigate how environmental factors, social conditions or alcohol exposure, during adolescence affect the brain and/or drug-taking in rats. Rats are very sensitive for dis- turbances in their social conditions and to induce an adverse social environment, early adolescent rats where single-housed for either a short or prolonged time. A short period of single housing induced an acute stress response and increased levels of nociceptin/orphanin FQ in brain areas associated with stress. Prolonged single housing reduced the levels of Met-enkephalin-Arg6Phe7 in several brain areas. Rats exposed to alcohol during adolescence had an altered dopamine response in dorsal striatum after an am- phetamine challenge but displayed similar amphetamine intake-behaviour as water controls. However, animals exposed to a combination of adolescent alcohol exposure and subsequent amphetamine intake had a more efficient removal of dopamine in dorsal striatum after an amphetamine challenge. This thesis demonstrates how two different environmental stimuli are able to alter the neurobiology in adolescent rats. The results further support the notion that environmental conditions are of importance for normal brain maturation and provide new evidence that endogenous opioids are severely affected by social dis- turbances during adolescence. Furthermore, additional information is provided to the existing literature of how alcohol exposure during adolescence affects dopamine dynamics and drug-taking behaviour. In the literature, the majority of the studies of adolescent alcohol exposure have focused on the nucleus accum- bens, a brain area important in the processing of rewards. The results herein provide evidence that dorsal striatum, a brain area involved in the transition into habitual drug use is also affected by adolescent alco- hol exposure. An altered drug response in dorsal striatum may affect habit formation and contribute to a heightened susceptibility for high drug consumption later in life.
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| 4. |
- Granholm, Linnea, 1986-
(author)
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Stress, Drugs and Neuroscience : Neurobiological Effects of Social Stressors and Drug Exposure in Young and Adolescent Rats
- 2018
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Experiences early in life or during adolescence modulate neuronal networks in the immature brain and consequently lay the foundation for future susceptibility or resilience towards psychiatric disorders. The objective in this thesis is to understand, in part, how the surrounding environment shapes the brain of a young individual. Three types of negative life events were studied, in an animal model, for their effects on the brain reward system (i.e., endogenous opioids and dopamine) and voluntary drug intake. These were: disruption of maternal care, disruption of interaction with peers, and exposure to drugs. Stress, in the form of maternal separation, altered expression of opioid genes in the dorsal striatum and amygdala, and the response to subsequent alcohol intake on these genes was dependent on early life conditions. Basal levels of endogenous opioids were also dependent on how the animals were housed in early adolescence. Short single housing (30 minutes) caused an acute stress response as evidenced by increased serum corticosterone and nociceptin/orphanin FQ in brain areas associated with stress. A prolonged single housing resulted in a marked decrease of Met-Enk-Arg6-Phe7 (i.e., a marker of enkephalins) in several brain areas. The endogenous opioids were also affected by repeated exposure of ethanol during adolescence; ethanol intoxication increased the accumbal levels of Met-Enk-Arg6-Phe7 and decreased those of β-endorphin. Residual effects of the adolescent ethanol exposure were found in Met-Enk-Arg6-Phe7 levels in the amygdala, ventral tegmental area, and substantia nigra. Furthermore, rats exposed to ethanol as adolescents had alterations in the dopamine dynamics in the dorsal striatum. Both endogenous opioids and dopamine are essential in mediating rewarding properties. Alterations of these systems, caused by environmental disturbances and alcohol exposure, presented herein could explain, in part, the increased susceptibility for alcohol- and substance use disorders later in life.
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| 5. |
- Palm, Sara, 1984-
(author)
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Early Environment, Adolescent Alcohol Drinking and Neurobiological Responses to Drugs
- 2014
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Genes and environment interact to determine an individual’s vulnerability or resilience to several psychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Alcohol use is often initiated during adolescence and early onset drinking is associated with increased risk for later AUD. Childhood and adolescence are periods of extensive brain maturation, which makes young individuals more susceptible to environmental influence. However, little is known about early environmental influence on reward pathways and behaviors involved in the development of AUD. Changes in the endogenous opioid and dopamine systems, as well as individual differences in risk behaviors are all believed to play important roles in the increased vulnerability seen after adverse early life events and early onset drinking. The overall aim of the thesis was therefore to investigate the influence of early environmental factors on adolescent alcohol intake, endogenous opioids, dopamine dynamics and alcohol-induced effects in rats to increase our knowledge of neurobiological factors underlying vulnerability to AUD. Furthermore, individual behavioral differences and their correlation to basal and drug-induced neurobiological responses in rats were also investigated. Animal models of different early environments, e.g. maternal separation and social vs. single housing, and adolescent alcohol consumption have been used to study effects on behavior, endogenous opioid peptides and dopamine dynamics. The results identified the amygdala and dorsal striatum as interesting brain regions in which endogenous opioids and dopamine, respectively, are impacted by early environmental factors. The amygdala and the dorsal striatum are both hypothesized to be involved in the shift from initial drug use to compulsive use and changes in these areas may be underlying environmentally increased vulnerability to AUD. Furthermore, behavioral phenotypes in relation to individual neurobiological responses were identified. High risk-taking behavior was associated with a more pronounced response to amphetamine, but the inherent dopamine response was instead associated with risk-assessment behavior. In conclusion, several brain regions of interest for future research were identified. Furthermore, the results contribute to increased understanding of factors involved in the development of vulnerability for AUD in adolescents and young adults.
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| 6. |
- Daoura, Loudin
(author)
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Early Environment and Adolescent Ethanol Consumption : Effects on Endogenous Opioids and Behaviour in Rats
- 2013
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Excessive and compulsive ethanol drinking is one of the most serious public health issues. Therefore, it is vital to increase the knowledge about risks and protection for alcohol use disorders (AUD) to optimize prevention and treatment strategies. Ethanol consumption commonly initiates during adolescence when extensive neuronal maturation and development also occurs. Early exposure to ethanol is a risk factor for AUD, but the effects of adolescent drinking and the basis for the individual susceptibility to AUD are not fully understood. The interactions between genotype and environmental factors determine the individual risk for AUD and this thesis aimed to examine the environmental impact. The specific aims were to investigate 1) how early-life conditions affect adolescent voluntary ethanol drinking, behavioural profiles, endogenous opioids and response to treatment with an opioid antagonist (naltrexone), and 2) whether alterations detected in the offspring may be mediated by variations in maternal behaviour. A rodent maternal separation (MS) model was used to mimic a protective and risk-inducing early-life environment, respectively, with the use of 15 min (MS15) or 360 min (MS360) of daily MS. The main findings were 1) the MS360, but not the MS15 rats, responded to naltrexone following adolescent ethanol drinking; all adolescent rats had a high voluntary ethanol intake independent of early environmental conditions whereas in the adult groups the MS360, but not the MS15 rats, increased their ethanol intake and preference over time; adolescent ethanol exposure resulted in higher dynorphin levels in hippocampus and higher Met-enkephalin-Arg6Phe7 in the amygdala, independently of rearing conditions, 2) behavioural profiling using the multivariate concentric square field™ test showed: the young MS360 rats had increased risk assessment and risk taking behaviour compared to the young MS15 rats; the young MS15 rats increased, whereas the young MS360 rats decreased, their risk assessment and risk taking behaviour over time; differences in pup-retrieval strategies where the MS360 dams retrieved some pups into a safe area but as compared to MS15 rats they left more pups in a risk area; increased risk assessment behaviour in the MS360 dams immediately after weaning. Taken together, early-life environmental conditions alter adult but not adolescent drinking, the response to naltrexone, and behaviour in dams and offspring. Adolescent rats consumed more ethanol independent of rearing conditions and displayed increased opioid levels in brain areas related to cognition and addiction.
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| 7. |
- Gustafsson, Lisa, 1975-
(author)
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Endogenous Opioids and Voluntary Ethanol Drinking : Consequences of Postnatal Environmental Influences in Rats
- 2007
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Genetic and environmental factors interact to determine the individual vulnerability to develop ethanol dependence. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying these processes are not fully understood. Endogenous opioid peptides have been suggested to contribute. Brain opioids mediate ethanol reward and reinforcement via actions on the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system. This thesis focuses on environmental factors and investigates the impact of the early-life environment on adult voluntary ethanol consumption. The possible involvement of opioid peptides in environmental influences on adult ethanol consumption was examined using an experimental animal model. Maternal separation with short 15 min separations (MS15) was used to simulate a safe environment whereas prolonged 360 min separations (MS360) simulated an unsafe environment. Control rats were subjected to normal animal facility rearing (AFR). The separations were performed daily from postnatal day 1 to 21. Long-term ethanol consumption was registered using a two-bottle or a four-bottle free-choice paradigm in adult male and female ethanol-preferring AA (Alko, Alcohol), ethanol-avoiding ANA (Alko, Non-Alcohol) and non-preferring Wistar rats. In addition, analyses of immunoreactive Met-enkephalin-Arg6Phe7 (MEAP), dynorphin B (DYNB) and nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) peptide levels were performed after maternal separation as well as after voluntary ethanol drinking. In male rats, MS15 was related to lower ethanol consumption and these rats preferred lower concentrations, whereas MS360 was associated with an increased risk for higher consumption and/or preference for higher ethanol concentrations. Differences in basal opioid levels were observed in MS15 and MS360 rats. Furthermore, the ethanol-induced effects on opioid peptides in adults were dependent on the early environment. Female rats, on the other hand, were less affected or unaffected by maternal separation both in terms of ethanol consumption and neurobiological effects. Taken together, voluntary ethanol drinking, preference for low or high ethanol concentrations and opioid peptides in brain areas related to reward and reinforcement, motivation and stress were influenced by postnatal maternal separation in a sex dependent manner. The early environment thus had profound impact on the adult brain and the individual propensity for high ethanol drinking. A deranged endogenous opioid system contributed to these effects and may act as a mediator for long-term environmental influence on voluntary ethanol consumption.
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| 8. |
- Lundberg, Stina
(author)
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Examining Female Resilience to Early Environmental Influences : Short- and long-term consequences on behaviour, HPA axis activity and alcohol intake after prolonged maternal separation
- 2017
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Early-life experiences are an important factor influencing further development of the individual. Adverse experiences early in life, such as various kinds of abuse or neglect, are types of early-life stress that can adversely affect an individuals health, as well as contribute to the development of an array of disorders later in life. Most prominent is the increased risk for psychiatric disorders, primarily depression, anxiety-related and substance use disorders. Many of the implicated disorders also exhibit sex-dependent differences in prevalence and severity. Thus, it is important to consider sex-dependent effects when modeling early-life stress and its consequences. A common animal model for early-life stress is prolonged maternal separation (MS). MS is an umbrella term for different manipulations of the early environment of rodent pups. In this thesis, a prolonged MS condition with separation of rat litters from their dams for six hours per day during the first three weeks of life (MS360) was used. In male offspring MS360 have been associated with early-life stress and negative effects apparent during both adolescence and adulthood. The literature regarding female offspring is not as substantial as for the males, but it seems that females’ exhibit less pronounced or no effect after prolonged MS independent of separation time. In addition, the studies that have examined female offspring have done so in adulthood and thus, short-term consequences of prolonged MS possibly present during adolescence have not been investigated. The aim of this thesis is to provide a broad investigation into the consequences of prolonged MS in female offspring, in both adolescence and adulthood. As stated above, MS360 was used as the adverse rearing condition in this thesis. As control, daily short MS (15 min; MS15) was used; this ensured that all animals were handled equally, except for the length of separation. Any detected differences are thus due to the length of separation only. Three categories of assessments were used to evaluate short- and long-term consequences: 1) hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis assessments, 2) behavioral assessments and 3) assessment of voluntary alcohol consumption. HPA axis reactivity was assessed in adolescent and adult offspring by blood sampling before and after challenge. HPA activity was also evaluated after long-term alcohol consumption by measurement of the fecal corticosterone content. Behavior was assessed in adolescence by registration of social play behavior and in adulthood by generation of behavioral profiles in the multivariate concentric square fieldTM (MCSF). Alcohol consumption was evaluated using the modified intermittent alcohol access schedule with the two- (20% alcohol) and three- bottle (5% and 20% alcohol) free-choice paradigms. Female offspring did not differ depending on rearing condition in HPA reactivity in adolescence or adulthood. However, after the long-term alcohol intake, MS360 females had increased levels of corticosterone in their feces compared to MS15 females. No difference was detected in adolescent social play among female offspring and only a minor alteration was detected in the adult behavioral profile, where MS360 females had increased risk assessment compared to MS15 females. No effect of rearing condition was seen during the two-bottle choice paradigm of alcohol intake, while whole- group differences over time were discovered. Alcohol intake and preference were highest the first week of access and directly after a two-week deprivation period, apart from those time-points, intake and preference were maintained on a stable level. In the three-bottle choice, an interaction with rearing condition was revealed for the total alcohol preference, however this only translated to a minor group-dependent difference. In conclusion, females reared under a prolonged MS paradigm exhibited no or only minor basal changes in HPA axis reactivity, behavior and alcohol consumption. However, after long-term alcohol intake females subjected to prolonged MS had increased corticosterone excretion into feces. That differences only emerge after long-term perturbation can be a sign that females have higher buffering capabilities than males after early-life adversity, as modeled through prolonged MS, and thus require additional challenges before consequences become apparent. This thesis highlights the importance of considering sex when studying the impact of early-life stress, and that the choice of animal model needs to be considered carefully in relation to the research question posed.
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| 9. |
- Roman, Erika, 1974-
(author)
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Maternal Separation in Rats : An Experimental Model for Long-Term Effects of Early Life Experiences on Neurochemistry, Voluntary Ethanol Intake and Exploration and Risk Assessment Behavior
- 2004
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The period of early life is important for the development of individual brain function and behavior. Human studies have shown altered vulnerability to develop psychopathology and/or excessive drug intake, possibly leading to dependence, as a consequence of early life experiences. In the present thesis, maternal separation (MS), an experimental model for studies of early environmental influences, was used to investigate long-term effects on neurochemistry, voluntary ethanol intake and exploration and risk assessment behavior in rats. Rat pups were assigned to one of three different rearing conditions: daily 15 min (MS15) or 360 min (MS360) of MS and normal animal facility rearing (AFR) during the first three weeks of life. Measurements of adult endogenous opioid peptide levels, opioid- and dopamine receptor density revealed minor MS-induced effects on the opioid system whereas interesting alterations were found in dopamine receptor density. Long-term effects on voluntary ethanol intake showed distinct MS-induced alterations in male Wistar and ethanol-preferring AA (Alko, Alcohol) rats. Female Wistar rats were unaffected, indicating sex differences in the effects of MS on ethanol intake. Male MS15 rats generally had a slower acquisition phase and a low subsequent ethanol intake whereas male MS360 rats had a high ethanol intake. MS15 is therefore suggested to protect against a high voluntary ethanol intake in male rats whereas MS360 may serve as a risk factor. The recently established concentric square field test indicated alterations in risk assessment as well as an increased exploratory drive and somewhat higher risk-taking behavior in adult MS360 rats, while minor effects were seen in MS15 rats. Altogether, these results demonstrate that environmental influences during the period of early life can have long-term effects on neurochemistry and behavior. Of special interest is the finding that MS altered the inherited high ethanol intake in adult ethanol-preferring AA rats.
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| 10. |
- Vrettou, Maria, 1988-
(author)
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Early life experiences and alcohol use in youth : An emerging role of the Vesicular Glutamate Transporters
- 2021
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Initiation of alcohol consumption usually takes place during adolescence, a period characterized by a plethora of physical and emotional changes. Towards early adulthood, hazardous drinking patterns can emerge and potentially lead to the development of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). Both positive and negative experiences during early life can shape brain development and, through interactions with the genetic make-up, can contribute to the vulnerability of an individual to develop AUD. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, potentially mediate the effect of environmental influences on gene expression, thus serving as the missing link between gene, environment and phenotype. Among various neuroadaptive changes seen in AUD, those within the glutamatergic system appear particularly prominent, mainly in withdrawal and relapse states, but also in stress-related outcomes. The glutamatergic phenotype can be determined by the expression of the Vesicular Glutamate Transporters 1-3 (VGLUT1-3). To date, the relationship between early life experiences, alcohol consumption, and Vgluts/VGLUTs genes (rodents/humans) in the initial stage of alcohol consumption and during the sensitive period of late adolescence/young adulthood has not been investigated.The present thesis, based on three studies on rodents and one on humans, aimed to examine Vglut/VGLUT1-3 correlates of early life experiences and alcohol drinking during youth. The effect of co-exposure to nicotine, because of its high comorbidity with alcohol use, as well as the role of key DNA methylation-regulating genes was also investigated. The main finding showed that individuals exposed to early life stress were more sensitive to the effect of alcohol on Vglut1-3 mRNA expression and DNA methylation, as well as expression of the DNA methylation-regulating genes, in limbic and striatal brain regions, as compared with controls. In an independent sample, prolonged nicotine co-exposure with alcohol during adolescence was associated with higher Vglut2 expression in the ventral tegmental area of young adult rats. Lastly, the single nucleotide polymorphism rs2290045 in VGLUT2 was found to moderate the environmental sensitivity to alcohol-related problems in humans. Carriers of the minor allele (T) displayed differential susceptibility to the environment; increasing quality of parenting was associated with higher and lower alcohol-related problems in the absence and presence of previous maltreatment, respectively.In conclusion, the findings highlight for the first time the role of Vgluts/VGLUTs in early stress-mediated sensitivity towards alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems during adolescence and young adulthood, and especially a potential Vglut2/VGLUT2-mediated molecular signature behind the interactive mechanisms of these two aversive environmental factors, as well as of nicotine co-exposure.
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