RATIONALE: There is accumulating evidence that the neuropeptide urocortin 1 (Ucn1) is involved in alcohol consumption. Thus far, however, most studies have been performed in mice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to characterize Ucn1 expression in rats selectively bred for either high or low alcohol intake. METHODS: Brains from naive male rats of five pairs of independently selected lines (iP/iNP, AA/ANA, HARF/LARF, HAD1/LAD1, and HAD2/LAD2) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between iP/iNP, HARF/LARF, and HAD2/LAD2 in number of Ucn1-containing cells in the Edinger-Westphal (EW) nucleus (the main source of Ucn1 in the brain), whereas no significant differences were found between HAD1/LAD1 and AA/ANA. Similarly, significant differences in the optical density of Ucn1 immunoreactivity in EW were found between iP/iNP, HARF/LARF, and HAD2/LAD2, whereas no differences on this measure were found between HAD1/LAD1 and AA/ANA. In the lateral septum (LS, the main projection area of Ucn1-containing neurons in the rat), significant differences were found only between AA/ANA and HAD2/LAD2; however, a meta-analysis indicated that across all five lines, preferring animals had a significantly greater number of Ucn1-positive fibers than nonpreferring animals. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that, in rats, Ucn1 may be involved in regulation of alcohol intake, and that this regulation may occur through the Ucn1 projections to LS.
RATIONALE: There is accumulating evidence that the neuropeptide urocortin 1 (Ucn1) is involved in alcohol consumption. Thus far, however, most studies have been performed in mice. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present study was to characterize Ucn1 expression in rats selectively bred for either high or low alcohol intake. METHODS: Brains from naive male rats of five pairs of independently selected lines (iP/iNP, AA/ANA, HARF/LARF, HAD1/LAD1, and HAD2/LAD2) were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between iP/iNP, HARF/LARF, and HAD2/LAD2 in number of Ucn1-containing cells in the Edinger-Westphal (EW) nucleus (the main source of Ucn1 in the brain), whereas no significant differences were found between HAD1/LAD1 and AA/ANA. Similarly, significant differences in the optical density of Ucn1 immunoreactivity in EW were found between iP/iNP, HARF/LARF, and HAD2/LAD2, whereas no differences on this measure were found between HAD1/LAD1 and AA/ANA. In the lateral septum (LS, the main projection area of Ucn1-containing neurons in the rat), significant differences were found only between AA/ANA and HAD2/LAD2; however, a meta-analysis indicated that across all five lines, preferring animals had a significantly greater number of Ucn1-positive fibers than nonpreferring animals. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that, in rats, Ucn1 may be involved in regulation of alcohol intake, and that this regulation may occur through the Ucn1 projections to LS.
Authors: Andrey E Ryabinin; Agustin Galvan-Rosas; Ryan K Bachtell; Fred O Risinger Journal: Psychopharmacology (Berl) Date: 2002-11-20 Impact factor: 4.530
Authors: Ryan K Bachtell; Adam Z Weitemier; Agustin Galvan-Rosas; Natalia O Tsivkovskaia; Fred O Risinger; Tamara J Phillips; Nicholas J Grahame; Andrey E Ryabinin Journal: J Neurosci Date: 2003-03-15 Impact factor: 6.167
Authors: Andrey E Ryabinin; Michael M Tsoory; Tamas Kozicz; Todd E Thiele; Adi Neufeld-Cohen; Alon Chen; Emily G Lowery-Gionta; William J Giardino; Simranjit Kaur Journal: Alcohol Date: 2012-03-22 Impact factor: 2.405
Authors: Weidong Yong; John Paul Spence; Robert Eskay; Stephanie D Fitz; Ruslan Damadzic; Dongbing Lai; Tatiana Foroud; Lucinda G Carr; Anantha Shekhar; Julia A Chester; Markus Heilig; Tiebing Liang Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2014-03-10 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Tamás Kozicz; Jackson C Bittencourt; Paul J May; Anton Reiner; Paul D R Gamlin; Miklós Palkovits; Anja K E Horn; Claudio A B Toledo; Andrey E Ryabinin Journal: J Comp Neurol Date: 2011-06-01 Impact factor: 3.215
Authors: Richard L Bell; Helen J K Sable; Giancarlo Colombo; Petri Hyytia; Zachary A Rodd; Lawrence Lumeng Journal: Pharmacol Biochem Behav Date: 2012-07-25 Impact factor: 3.533