Alcoholism is a pervasive disorder perpetuated in part to relieve negative mood states like anxiety experienced during alcohol withdrawal. Emerging evidence demonstrates a role for the serotonin rich dorsal raphe (DR) in anxiety following ethanol withdrawal. The current study examined the effects of chronic ethanol vapor exposure on the DR using slice electrophysiology in male DBA2/J mice. We found that chronic ethanol exposure resulted in deficits in social approach indicative of increased anxiety-like behavior at both 24-h and 7 days post-ethanol exposure. At 24-h post-ethanol, we observed increased excitability and decreased spontaneous inhibitory transmission (IPSCs) in the DR. At 7 days post-ethanol, we observed increased spontaneous and miniature excitatory transmission (EPSCs). Because acute ethanol alters GABA transmission in other brain regions, we assessed the effects of ex vivo ethanol (50 mM) on mIPSCs in the DR 24-h post-ethanol. Bath application of ethanol enhanced the amplitude of miniature IPSCs in cells from ethanol-naïve and chronic ethanol-exposed (CIE) mice, but significantly enhanced the frequency of miniature IPSCs only in cells from CIE mice, suggesting that DR neurons are more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of acute ethanol following CIE. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that net excitation of DR neurons following chronic ethanol exposure contributes to enhanced anxiety during ethanol withdrawal and that increased sensitivity of DR neurons to subsequent ethanol exposure may mediate acute ethanol's ability to relieve anxiety during ethanol withdrawal.Neuropsychopharmacology accepted article preview online, 14 August 2014; doi:10.1038/npp.2014.205.
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science
2
3%
Other
5
8%
Unknown
22
34%
Attention Score in Context
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 10. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 27 January 2015.
All research outputs
#4,328,872
of 29,994,878 outputs
Outputs from Neuropsychopharmacology
#1,997
of 5,662 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#36,862
of 250,238 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Neuropsychopharmacology
#36
of 73 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 29,994,878 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done well and is in the 85th percentile: it's in the top 25% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 5,662 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 20.2. This one has gotten more attention than average, scoring higher than 63% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 73 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 45th percentile – i.e., 45% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
