Nucleus incertus Orexin(2) receptors mediate alcohol seeking in rats

Hanna E Kastman; Anna Blasiak; Leigh Walker; Marcin Siwiec; Elena V Krstew; Andrew L Gundlach; Andrew J Lawrence

Journal article

Nucleus incertus Orexin(2) receptors mediate alcohol seeking in rats

Hanna E Kastman, Anna Blasiak, Leigh Walker, Marcin Siwiec, Elena V Krstew, Andrew L Gundlach, Andrew J Lawrence

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY | PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD | Published : 2016

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2016.07.006

Abstract

Alcoholism is a chronic relapsing disorder and a major global health problem. Stress is a key precipitant of relapse in human alcoholics and in animal models of alcohol seeking. The brainstem nucleus incertus (NI) contains a population of relaxin-3 neurons that are highly responsive to psychological stressors; and the ascending NI relaxin-3/RXFP3 signalling system is implicated in stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking. The NI receives orexinergic innervation and expresses orexin1 (OX1) and orexin2 (OX2) receptor mRNA. In alcohol-preferring (iP) rats, we examined the impact of yohimbine-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking on orexin neuronal activation, and the effect of bilater..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Andrew Gundlach Author Anatomy and Physiology

Andrew Lawrence Author Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health

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Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

Awarded by Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education

Awarded by National Science Centre

Awarded by EU (FP7-PEOPLE-IRSES)

Funding Acknowledgements

We thank Sarah Ch'ng, Craig Smith (The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health) and Agnieszka Grabowiecka (Jagiellonian University) for technical assistance. This work was supported by project grants from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (1021227 and 1079893 to AJL and ALG), Fellowships from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (1126330 to ALG and 1020737 to AJL); the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (N N303 569939 to Tomasz Blasiak, AB and ALG); a research grant from The National Science Centre (DEC-2012/05/D/NZ4/02984 to AB and ALG) and an EU-funded exchange program (FP7-PEOPLE-IRSES PIRSES-GA-2012-318997 NEUREN project to AB and ALG). We acknowledge financial support from the Besen Family and Pratt Foundations and the Victorian State Government Infrastructure Program. HEK was supported by a Melbourne International Research Scholarship; LCW was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award.