Chronic alcohol consumption and abstinence disrupt cholinergic gene expression in the mesopontine tegmentum of alcohol-preferring iP rats

Abstract

AbstractThe mesopontine tegmentum (MPT), consisting of the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPTg) and laterodorsal tegmentum (LDTg) regulates reward and aversion via direct projections to key regions including the striatum, substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area. Chronic alcohol consumption followed by abstinence significantly downregulates the M4 muscarinic receptor in the dorsolateral striatum. Since cholinergic projections from the mesopontine tegmentum (MPT) provide an external source of acetylcholine to this region, it is imperative to investigate how alcohol exposure and subsequent abstinence induce molecular alterations within the cholinergic system of the mesopontine tegmentum. In t..