First Author | Tipps ME | Year | 2016 |
Journal | Alcohol Clin Exp Res | Volume | 40 |
Issue | 4 | Pages | 857-64 |
PubMed ID | 27012303 | Mgi Jnum | J:303289 |
Mgi Id | MGI:6513680 | Doi | 10.1111/acer.13012 |
Citation | Tipps ME, et al. (2016) G Protein-Gated Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channel (GIRK) Subunit 3 Knock-Out Mice Show Enhanced Ethanol Reward. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 40(4):857-64 |
abstractText | BACKGROUND: G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels contribute to the effects of a number of drugs of abuse, including ethanol. However, the roles of individual subunits in the rewarding effects of ethanol are poorly understood. METHODS: We compare conditioned place preference (CPP) in GIRK3 subunit knock-out (GIRK3(-/-)), heterozygote (GIRK3(+/-)), and wild-type (WT) mice. In addition, the development of locomotor tolerance/sensitization and the effects of EtOH intoxication on associative learning (fear conditioning) are also assessed. RESULTS: Our data show significant EtOH CPP in GIRK3(-/-) and GIRK3(+/-) mice, but not in the WT littermates. In addition, we demonstrate that these effects are not due to differences in EtOH metabolism, the development of EtOH tolerance/sensitivity, or associative learning abilities. While there were no consistent genotype differences in the fear conditioning assay, our data do show a selective sensitization of the impairing effects of EtOH intoxication on contextual learning, but no effect on cued learning. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that GIRK3 plays a role in EtOH reward. Furthermore, the selectivity of this effect suggests that GIRK channels could be an effective therapeutic target for the prevention and/or treatment of alcoholism. |