Chapter Seven - A comparison of hippocampal microglial responses in aged and young rodents following dependent and non-dependent binge drinking

Publication date: 2019Source: International Review of Neurobiology, Volume 148Author(s): Isabella R. Grifasi, William Andrew Evans, Annie D. Rexha, Lansana W. Sako, S. Alex MarshallAbstractAlcoholism is a highly visible and prevalent issue in the United States. Although binge-drinking is assumed to be a college-age problem, older adults (ages 65 +) consume binge amounts of alcohol and have alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Moreover, individuals with alcohol dependence in their youth often continue to drink as they age. As such, this study tested the hypothesis that the effects of alcohol on hippocampal microglia are exacerbated in aged versus younger rodents in two AUD models. Briefly, adult (2–3 months) and aged (15 + months) Sprague-Dawley rats were administered alcohol or control diet using the Majchrowicz model to study alcohol-induced neurodegeneration. To study the effects of non-dependent binge consumption on microglia, adolescent (6–8 weeks) and aged (18 + months) C57/BL6N were subjected to the Drinking in the Dark paradigm. Microglia number and densitometry were assessed using immunohistochemistry. Hippocampal subregional and model/species-specific effects of alcohol were observed, but overall, aging did not appear to increase the alcohol-induced microglia reactivity as measured by Iba-1 densitometry. However, analysis of microglial counts revealed a significant decrease in the number microglia cells in both the alcohol-induced neurodegeneration and DI...
Source: International Review of Neurobiology - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research