Behavioral Effects of Optogenetic Activation of the Orbito-Accumbens Pathway in Adolescent Intermittent Ethanol-Exposed Rats

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  • May 15, 2019
Creator
  • Watson, Madeline
    • Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology
Abstract
  • The neurobiological effects of binge-like alcohol consumption during adolescence include reduced frontolimbic connectivity later in adulthood, which may result in decreased inhibitory control, impulsive behavior, and increased likelihood of alcoholism or alcohol abuse later in life. Animal behavior in Pavlovian Conditioned Approach (PCA) can be classified as sign-tracking (approach to the cue) or goal-tracking (approach to the reward delivery site). Sign-tracking behavior demonstrated during PCA shares many behavioral characteristics with vulnerability to drug or alcohol addiction and abuse and is, thus, an appropriate model to investigate the neurobiological effects of binge alcohol consumption in adolescents. In the present study, we modeled binge-like alcohol consumption in adolescent rats to determine how adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure alters behavior in PCA. AIE-exposed rats exhibited decreased goal-tracking behavior compared to controls, indicating that adolescent alcohol consumption alters reward-associated behavior. We applied optogenetic techniques to determine the effects of stimulating orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) neurons projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) on conditioned approach behavior. Data showed that stimulation of the orbito-accumbens pathway does not reliably alter behavior in AIE-exposed rats. Thus, the orbito-accumbens pathway is likely not a desirable target to reverse the long-term effects of binge alcohol consumption during adolescence that are demonstrated by conditioned-approach behavior in PCA. However, further research is needed to thoroughly investigate the role of this pathway in addiction-like behavior in additional subjects.
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Advisor
  • Robinson, Donita
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2019
Language
  • English

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