title: Increased Synaptic Excitation and Abnormal Dendritic Structure of Prefrontal Cortex Layer V Pyramidal Neurons following Prolonged Binge-Like Consumption of Ethanol.
abstract: Long-term alcohol use causes a multitude of neurochemical changes in cortical regions that facilitate the transition to dependence. Therefore, we used a model of long-term, binge-like ethanol consumption in rats to determine the effects on morphology and synaptic physiology of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) layer V pyramidal neurons. Following 10 weeks of ethanol consumption, we recorded synaptic currents from mPFC neurons and used neurobiotin filling to analyze their morphology. We then compared these data to measurements obtained from age-matched, water-drinking control rats. We found that long-term ethanol consumption caused a significant increase in total dendrite arbor length of mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons. Dendritic restructuring was primarily observed in basal dendrite arbors, with mPFC neurons from animals engaged in long-term ethanol drinking having significantly larger and more complex basal arbors compared with controls. These changes were accompanied by significantly increased total spine densities and spontaneous postsynaptic excitatory current frequency, suggesting that long-term binge-like ethanol consumption enhances basal excitatory synaptic transmission in mPFC layer V pyramidal neurons. Our results provide insights into the morphological and functional changes in mPFC layer V pyramidal neuronal physiology following prolonged exposure to ethanol and support changes in mPFC activity during the development of alcohol dependence.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Institute and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane 4000, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Klenowski
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland , Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fogarty
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Institute and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane 4000, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Masroor
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shariff
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Institute and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane 4000, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Arnauld
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belmer
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland , Brisbane 4072, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bellingham
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Institute and Institute for Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology , Brisbane 4000, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Selena E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063425:Binge Drinking / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood; D005518:Food Preferences; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: dendrite; ethanol; mPFC; pyramidal; spines; synaptic currents 