The effect of alcohol drinking on NPY modulation of inhibition in the BNST

酒精滥用和焦虑症在我们的社会中很普遍，并表现为高度的共病。狂饮后反复的戒酒周期可能会导致大脑中调节饮酒和焦虑相关行为的区域持续适应，包括杏仁核中央核（CeA）和延伸杏仁核的终纹床核（BNST）。这些变化会导致失调的应激反应，增加焦虑水平和复发行为。神经肽Y （NPY）信号是调节饮酒和焦虑相关行为的内源性神经化学系统。NPY Y1受体（Y1R）的激活产生行为性焦虑缓解并减少乙醇消耗，而Y2受体（Y2R）的激活产生行为性焦虑发生并增加乙醇消耗。虽然有证据表明，y2r介导的NPY效应可能通过调节BNST中的抑制性突触传递发生，但仍然缺乏对y1r特异性NPY信号传导的详细机制理解。此外，反复接触酒精可能导致NPY信号失调和随后的行为改变，尽管这种情况发生的具体机制尚不清楚。因此，本研究的总体目标是：1)表征Y1R介导的信号传导对小鼠BNST中抑制性突触传递的影响；2)确定慢性酒精自我给药对小鼠和恒河猴BNST中Y1R和y2r特异性NPY信号传导的急性和长期影响。了解内源性NPY系统的机制可能有助于治疗焦虑症和酒精中毒。我假设慢性自愿饮酒会导致BNST中受体特异性NPY信号的失调，这最终表现为饮酒和焦虑相关行为的改变。

Alcohol abuse and anxiety disorders are prevalent in our society and are expressed with a high degree of comorbidity. Repeated cycles of withdrawal after binge alcohol drinking may cause persistent adaptations in brain regions that regulate alcohol drinking and anxiety-related behaviors, including the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) in the extended amygdala. These changes can lead to a dysregulated stress response, increased levels of anxiety, and relapse behavior. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) signaling is one endogenous neurochemical system that modulates alcohol drinking and anxiety-related behaviors. Activation of the NPY Y1 receptor (Y1R) produces behavioral anxiolysis and decreases ethanol consumption, while Y2 receptor (Y2R) activation produces behavioral anxiogenesis and increases ethanol consumption. While there is evidence that Y2R-mediated effects of NPY may occur via modulation of inhibitory synaptic transmission in the BNST, there remains a lack of a detailed mechanistic understanding of Y1R-specific NPY signaling. In addition, repeated exposure to alcohol may lead to dysregulation of NPY signaling and subsequent alterations in behavior, though the specific mechanisms by which this occurs are poorly understood. Therefore, the overarching goals of this proposal are to 1) characterize the effect of Y1R-mediated signaling on inhibitory synaptic transmission in the mouse BNST and 2) determine the acute and protracted effects of chronic alcohol self-administration on Y1R and Y2R-specific NPY signaling in the BNST of mice and rhesus monkeys. Understanding the mechanisms of the endogenous NPY system may be useful for treating both anxiety disorders and alcoholism. I hypothesize that chronic voluntary alcohol drinking leads to dysregulation of receptor-specific NPY signaling in the BNST, which is ultimately manifested in altered alcohol drinking and anxiety-related behaviors.