Cannabinoid CB1 receptor inhibition blunts adolescent-typical increased binge alcohol and sucrose consumption in male C57BL/6J mice

Increased binge alcohol consumption has been reported among adolescents as compared to adults in both humans and rodent models, and has been associated with serious long-term health consequences. However, the neurochemical mechanism for age differences in binge drinking between adolescents and adults has not been established. The present study was designed to evaluate the mechanistic role of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor in adolescent and adult binge drinking. Binge consumption was established in adolescent and adult male C57BL/6J mice by providing access to 20% alcohol or 1% sucrose for 4h every other day. Pretreatment with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist AM-251 (0, 1, 3, and 10mg/kg) in a Latin square design dose-dependently reduced adolescent alcohol consumption to adult levels without altering adult intake. AM-251 (3mg/kg) also reduced adolescent but not adult sucrose consumption. Adolescent reductions in alcohol and sucrose were not associated with alterations in open-field locomotor activity or thigmotaxis. These findings point to age differences in CB1 receptor activity as a functional mediator of adolescent-typical increased binge drinking as compared to adults. Developmental alterations in endocannabinoid signaling in the adolescent brain may therefore be responsible for the drinking phenotype seen in this age group

Adolescent C57BL/6J Mice Show Elevated Alcohol Intake, but Reduced Taste Aversion, as Compared to Adult Mice: A Potential Behavioral Mechanism for Binge Drinking: ELEVATED ALCOHOL INTAKE IN ADOLESCENCE

Binge alcohol drinking during adolescence is a serious health problem which may increase future risk of an alcohol use disorder. Although there are several different procedures by which to preclinically model binge-like alcohol intake, limited-access procedures offer the advantage of achieving high voluntary alcohol intake and pharmacologically relevant blood alcohol concentrations (BACs). Therefore, in the current study, developmental differences in binge-like alcohol drinking using a limited-access cycling procedure were examined. In addition, as alcohol drinking has been negatively correlated with sensitivity to the aversive properties of alcohol, we examined developmental differences in sensitivity to an alcohol-induced conditioned taste aversion (CTA)

CaMKII α -GluA1 Activity Underlies Vulnerability to Adolescent Binge Alcohol Drinking

Binge drinking during adolescence is associated with increased risk for developing alcohol use disorders (AUDs); however, the neural mechanisms underlying this liability are unclear. In this study, we sought to determine if binge-drinking alters expression or phosphorylation of two molecular mechanisms of neuroplasticity, calcium/calmodulin dependent kinase II alpha (CaMKIIα) and the GluA1 subunit of AMPA receptors (AMPAR) in addiction-associated brain regions. We also asked if activation of CaMKIIα-dependent AMPAR activity escalates binge-like drinking

Alcohol Alters the Activation of ERK1/2, a Functional Regulator of Binge Alcohol Drinking in Adult C57BL/6J Mice

Binge alcohol drinking is a particularly risky pattern of alcohol consumption that often precedes alcohol dependence and addiction. The transition from binge alcohol drinking to alcohol addiction likely involves mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and learning in the brain. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades have been shown to be involved in learning and memory, as well as the response to drugs of abuse, but their role in binge alcohol drinking remains unclear. The present experiments were designed to determine the effects of acute alcohol on extracellular signaling related kinases (ERK1/2) expression and activity, and to determine whether ERK1/2 activity functionally regulates binge-like alcohol drinking

Precursors of extreme increments

We investigate precursors and predictability of extreme increments in a time series. The events we are focusing on consist in large increments within successive time steps. We are especially interested in understanding how the quality of the predictions depends on the strategy to choose precursors, on the size of the event and on the correlation strength. We study the prediction of extreme increments analytically in an AR(1) process, and numerically in wind speed recordings and long-range correlated ARMA data. We evaluate the success of predictions via receiver operator characteristics (ROC-curves). Furthermore, we observe an increase of the quality of predictions with increasing event size and with decreasing correlation in all examples. Both effects can be understood by using the likelihood ratio as a summary index for smooth ROC-curves

High and low levels of positive mental health:are there socioeconomic differences among adolescents?

Purpose: – It is important within public health goals to promote adolescents’ mental health and to reduce socioeconomic inequalities in mental health. Among adults there are indications that the socioeconomic pattern of low positive mental health (PMH) differs from the socioeconomic pattern of high PMH. Knowledge regarding the social epidemiology of PMH among young people is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to examine the socioeconomic patterning of aspects of low and high PMH among adolescents. Design/methodology/approach: – The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children Methodology Development Study 2012 provided data on 3,670 adolescents aged 11-15 in two municipalities in Denmark. Socioeconomic differences in aspects of low and high PMH (self-esteem, social competence and self-efficacy) were investigated by calculating sex-specific prevalence of PMH in socioeconomic groups measured by parents’ occupational social class. Using multi-level logistic regression analyses, odds ratios for low and high PMH compared to moderate PMH were estimated. Findings: – In age-adjusted analyses there seemed to be a graded relationship with increasing odds for low PMH with decreasing socioeconomic position, but no indication of a socioeconomic patterning of high PMH. The prevalence of high self-esteem and high self-efficacy was higher among boys than girls. High social competence and high self-efficacy increased with age. Research limitations/implications: – Public health research has primarily focused on risk factors and mental health problems. Research highlighting more detailed aspects of PMH is needed. Originality/value: – The socioeconomic pattern of high PMH may be different from the socioeconomic pattern of low PMH