Cited by 294Stress Responses and CortisolNeuropeptides and Animal PhysiologyNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

Alcohol self-administration acutely stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, but alcohol dependence leads to a dampened neuroendocrine state

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Richardson, Heather N., Lee, Soon Y., O’Dell, Laura E., Koob, George F., Rivier, Catherine L.·2008·European Journal of Neuroscience

Abstract

Clinical studies link disruption of the neuroendocrine stress system with alcoholism, but remaining unknown is whether functional differences in the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis precede alcohol abuse and dependence or result from chronic exposure to this drug. Using an operant self‐administration animal model of alcohol dependence and serial blood sampling, we show that long‐term exposure to alcohol causes significant impairment of HPA function in adult male Wistar rats. Acute alcohol (voluntary self‐administration or experimenter‐administered) stimulated the release of corticosterone and its upstream regulator, adrenocorticotropic hormone, but chronic exposure sufficient to produce dependence led to a dampened neuroendocrine state. HPA responses to alcohol were most robust in ‘low‐responding’ non‐dependent animals (averaging < 0.2 mg/kg/session), intermediate in non‐dependent animals (averaging ∼0.4 mg/kg/session), and most blunted in dependent animals (averaging ∼1.0 mg/kg/session) following several weeks of daily 30‐min self‐administration sessions, suggesting that neuroendocrine tolerance can be initiated prior to dependence and relates to the amount of alcohol consumed. Decreased expression of corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) mRNA expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and reduced sensitivity of the pituitary to CRF may contribute to, but do not completely explain, neuroendocrine tolerance. The present results, combined with previous studies, suggest that multiple adaptations to stress regulatory systems may be brought about by excessive drinking, including a compromised hormonal response and a sensitized brain stress response that together contribute to dependence.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06455.x

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  • Rats made dependent using the chronic intermittent alcohol vapor model exhibit a blunted corticosterone response.

    “Similar effects have been observed in animal models in which rats that are made dependent using the chronic intermittent alcohol vapor model exhibit a blunted corticosterone response (Richardson et al., 2008).”
  • Binge and heavy alcohol use, high nicotine use, and other psychostimulant use reduce the increased cortisol responses observed with acute alcohol or drug intake.

    “binge and heavy alcohol use, but also high nicotine and other psychostimulant use, reduces the well-known increased cortisol responses observed with acute alcohol/drug intake”

    From Role of addiction and stress neurobiology on food intake and obesity (2018) · cites this paper as Richardson, Lee, O'Dell, Koob, & Rivier, 2008

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Authors
Richardson, H. N., Lee, S. Y., O’Dell, L. E., Koob, G. F., & Rivier, C. L.
Affiliations
  • Scripps Research Institute (US)
  • Salk Institute for Biological Studies (US)
Venue
European Journal of Neuroscience
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-10
Volume
28
Issue
8
Pages
1641-1653
ISSN
  • 0953-816X (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-9568
OpenAlex
W2161039633
Cited by
294
References
79
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 18
FWCI
6.29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • European Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01AA008459, AA12602, AA-06420, AA-08459, P50AA006420, R37AA008459, R01AA012602, T32AA007456, P60AA006420)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
alcoholism, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, alcohol self-administration, corticosterone, ACTH, corticotropin-releasing factor, paraventricular nucleus, stress response, chronic ethanol exposure
MeSH terms
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone, Ethanol, Alcoholism, Animals, Central Nervous System Depressants, Corticosterone, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone, Disease Models, Animal, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drug Administration Schedule, Endocrine System Diseases, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Neurosecretory Systems, Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus, Pituitary-Adrenal System, RNA, Messenger, Rats, Wistar, Alcohol-Induced Disorders, Nervous System, Rats

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