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Deficient endocannabinoid signaling in the central amygdala contributes to alcohol dependence-related anxiety-like behavior and excessive alcohol intake

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Serrano, Antonia, Pavon, Francisco J., Buczynski, Matthew W., Schlosburg, Joel, Natividad, Luis A., Polis, Ilham Y., Stouffer, David G., Zorrilla, Eric P. +5 more·2018·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Negative emotional states that are associated with excessive alcohol intake, particularly anxiety-like states, have been linked to opponent processes in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), affecting stress-related transmitters and monoamines. This study extends these observations to include endocannabinoid signaling in alcohol-dependent animals. Rats and mice were exposed to chronic intermittent alcohol with vapor inhalation or liquid diet to induce dependence. In vivo microdialysis was used to estimate interstitial concentrations of endocannabinoids [N-arachidonoylethanolamine (anandamide; AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)] and amino acids (glutamate and GABA) in rat CeA. Additionally, we evaluated the inhibition of endocannabinoids clearance enzymes [monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) and fatty acid amide hydrolase] on anxiety-like behavior and alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats and mice. Results revealed that alcohol dependence produced decreases in baseline 2-AG dialysate levels and increases in baseline levels of glutamate and GABA. Acute alcohol abstinence induced an enhancement of these dependence-induced effects and the levels of 2-AG and GABA were restored upon alcohol re-exposure. Additional studies showed that the increased CeA 2-AG levels induced by restraint stress and alcohol self-administration were blunted in alcohol-dependent rats. Pharmacological studies in rats and mice showed that anxiety-like behavior and alcohol consumption were increased in alcohol-dependent animals, and these behavioral effects were attenuated mainly by MAGL inhibitors [MJN110 (10 and 20 mg/kg) in rats and JZL184 (1 and 3 mg/kg) in mice]. The present results suggest a key role for endocannabinoid signaling in motivational neuroadaptations during alcohol dependence, in which a deficiency in CeA 2-AG signaling in alcohol-dependent animals is linked to stress and excessive alcohol consumption.

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Crossref · 10.1038/s41386-018-0055-3

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  • For alcohol, chronic alcohol exposure increases brain 2-AG and AEA, particularly in basal forebrain areas, in rodents, but decreases in both 2-AG and AEA are observed in the CeA during withdrawal.

    “For alcohol, chronic alcohol exposure increases brain 2-AG (Caillé et al., 2007;Alvarez-Jaimes et al., 2009) and N-arachidonoylethanolamine (AEA), particularly in basal forebrain areas, in rodents (González et al., 2004;Vinod et al., 2006), but decreases in both 2-AG and AEA were observed in the CeA during withdrawal (Serrano et al., 2018).”

    From Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development (2021) · cites this paper as Serrano et al., 2018

    The Results (page unavailable) report that CeA 2-AG decreased during 12 hours of abstinence in alcohol-dependent rats. They report no effect of alcohol history or sampling time on CeA AEA levels, so the claim that AEA also decreased during withdrawal is not supported. The earlier increases elsewhere in the brain are attributed to other citations in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.92)

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  • Both FAAH inhibitors and MAGL inhibitors decrease withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior and decrease alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent rats.

    “Both FAAH inhibitors and MAGL inhibitors, which functionally increase endocannabinoids, decreased withdrawal-induced anxiety-like behavior and decreased alcohol consumption in alcoholdependent rats (Serrano et al., 2018).”

    From Drug Addiction: Hyperkatifeia/Negative Reinforcement as a Framework for Medications Development (2021) · cites this paper as Serrano et al., 2018

    The results on anxiety-like behavior report improvement with the MAGL inhibitor MJN110 in alcohol-dependent rats, and the discussion says both MAGL and FAAH inhibitors ameliorated dependence-associated anxiety-like behavior. The alcohol-intake results report a significant reduction with MJN110, but the discussion states that FAAH inhibition did not consistently alter alcohol consumption in dependent rats or mice. Thus, the claim overstates the alcohol-consumption finding for FAAH inhibitors (sections on anxiety-like behavior, FAAH inhibition, and 2-AG clearance inhibition; page unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.92)

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  1. [67]67. Valdez GR, Zorrilla EP, Roberts AJ, Koob GF. Antagonism of corticotropin-releasing factor attenuates the enhanced responsiveness to stress observed during pro- tracted ethanol abstinence. Alcohol. 2003;29:55-60.

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Authors
Serrano, A., Pavon, F. J., Buczynski, M. W., Schlosburg, J., Natividad, L. A., Polis, I. Y., Stouffer, D. G., Zorrilla, E. P., Roberto, M., Cravatt, B. F., Martin-Fardon, R., Rodriguez de Fonseca, F., & Parsons, L. H.
Affiliations
  • Scripps Research Institute (US)
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
Corresponding author
Serrano, Antonia
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2018-04-05
Volume
43
Issue
9
Pages
1840-1850
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2795837921
Cited by
83
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 2
FWCI
6.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RISalud Institutional Health Repository of Andalucía (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • European Commission
  • Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (PI16/, PI16/01953, RD12/0028/0001)
  • Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (PND2017/043)
  • Junta de Andalucía (CTS-433)
  • National Institutes of Health (AA017447, AA006420, 5r37aa017447-15)
  • Plan Nacional sobre Drogas
  • Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/, CP14/00212, RD12/0028/0001, CP14/00173, CP14/00173 and CP14/00212, PI17/02026, PI16/01953)
  • European Regional Development Fund (CTS-433, CP14/00173, CP14/00212)
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (K99AA025393, R37-AA017447, R01AA020404, R01AA022249, R01AA015566, P50AA006420, R21AA024146, R01AA017447, P60AA006420)
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R00DA035865, K99DA037344, R00DA037344)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
endocannabinoid signaling, central amygdala, alcoholism, anxiety-like behavior, excessive alcohol intake, 2-arachidonoylglycerol, anandamide, monoacylglycerol lipase, fatty acid amide hydrolase, JZL184, glutamate, GABA, alcohol self-administration, restraint stress, alcohol abstinence, neural adaptation
MeSH terms
Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolases, Ethanol, Alcoholism, Amidohydrolases, Animals, Anxiety, Central Nervous System Depressants, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Monoacylglycerol Lipases, Rats, Wistar, Glutamic Acid, Endocannabinoids, Central Amygdaloid Nucleus

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