Frontiers in Psychiatry (Oct 2018)

Chronic Alcohol Treatment-Induced GABA-Aα5 Histone H3K4 Trimethylation Upregulation Leads to Increased GABA-Aα5 Expression and Susceptibility to Alcohol Addiction in the Offspring of Wistar Rats

  • Kuan Zeng,
  • Kuan Zeng,
  • Aimin Xie,
  • Aimin Xie,
  • Xiaojie Zhang,
  • Baoliang Zhong,
  • Baoliang Zhong,
  • Xuebing Liu,
  • Xuebing Liu,
  • Wei Hao

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00468
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-Aα5 is considered to be associated with alcohol-induced memory deficits. However, whether it participates in the formation of alcohol addiction or in the regulation of its susceptibility is unknown. Here, we used a chronic alcohol treatment model to obtain alcohol-addicted Wistar rats. Long-term alcoholism increased the expression of prefrontal cortex GABA-Aα5 by inducing its histone H3K4 trimethylation, and these changes could be hereditary and lead to increased vulnerability to alcohol addiction in offspring. This study indicates the risk of long-term alcoholism in future generations, emphasizes the importance of GABA-Aα5 in the formation of alcohol addiction and the regulation of its susceptibility, and provides new evidence regarding the mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction.

Keywords