title: Differential response of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes in the rat prefrontal cortex following ethanol self-administration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction is believed to contribute to the transition from controlled substance use to abuse. Because astrocytes have been suggested to play a key role in the development and maintenance of drug-seeking behaviors, we sought to determine whether PFC astrocytes are affected by ethanol (EtOH) self-administration.
  
  
  METHODS
  EtOH consumption was modeled in rats by 3 self-administration paradigms where EtOH was made concurrently available with water in the home cage either continuously (CEA) or intermittently (IEA). In the third paradigm, EtOH was only available in the operant chamber (OEA). To avoid the potential confound of acute EtOH effects, all rats were sacrificed after either 24-hour or 3-week abstinence. In all groups, the effect of EtOH consumption on PFC astrocytes was measured using unbiased stereological counting of cells expressing the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). GFAP immunoreactivity commonly changes in response to pharmacological insult or injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GFAP-positive astrocyte number increased in the prelimbic and anterior cingulate cortex regions of the PFC after IEA. No change was found in the infralimbic or orbitofrontal cortex after IEA. After 3-week abstinence, there was a reduction of astrocytes in the prelimbic and orbitofrontal cortex of the CEA cohort as well as a reduction in the orbitofrontal cortex of the OEA cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings demonstrate that discrete PFC subregions contain GFAP-positive astrocyte populations that respond differentially to distinct EtOH consumption paradigms. A better understanding of how specific astrocyte populations uniquely adapt to EtOH consumption could provide insight for targeted therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bull
authors.forename: Wahab A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Syed
authors.forename: Sabrina C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Minter
authors.forename: M Scott
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Bowers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002452:Cell Count; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Astrocyte; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; Prefrontal Cortex; Self-Administration; Stereology
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