Mesolimbic transcriptional response to hedonic substitution of voluntary exercise and voluntary ethanol consumption.
The mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway has been implicated in many rewarding behaviors, including the consumption of ethanol and voluntary exercise. It has become apparent that different rewarding stimuli activate this pathway, and therefore it is possible for these behaviors to influence each other, i.e. hedonic substitution. Using adult female C57BL/6J mice, we demonstrate that voluntary access to a running wheel substantially reduces the consumption and preference of ethanol. Furthermore, we examined gene expression of several genes involved in regulating the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway, which we hypothesized to be the main pathway involved in hedonic substitution. In the striatum, we observed a reduction in mRNA expression of Drd1a due to exercise. Hippocampal Bdnf mRNA increased in response to exercise and decreased in response to ethanol. Furthermore, there was an interaction effect of exercise and ethanol on the expression of Slc18a2 in the midbrain. These data suggest an important role for this pathway, and especially for Bdnf and Slc18a2 in regulating hedonic substitution.
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
Todd M
TM
Darlington
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
Riley D
RD
McCarthy
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
Ryan J
RJ
Cox
Institute for Behavioral Genetics, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO 80303, USA. Electronic address: marissa.ehringer@colorado.edu.
Marissa A
MA
Ehringer
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000187:drug effects*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012201:Reward; D012439:Saccharin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C493453:Slc18a2 protein, mouse; D013549:Sweetening Agents; D050493:Vesicular Monoamine Transport Proteins; D000431:Ethanol; D012439:Saccharin
Ethanol consumption; Hedonic substitution; Wheel running