Date
8-11-2021 9:55 AM
Abstract
Chronic binge drinking negatively impacts society and is a leading cause of preventable deaths. The purpose of the experiment is to determine if regulation of circadian rhythms in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) will contribute to less ethanol consumption. The VTA plays a major role in addiction. A simple genetic animal model examines iHDID-1 mice and their binge-like drinking intake. The mice undergo Drinking in the Dark (DID) for 6 weeks prior to administration of apremilast or saline treatment at weeks 7 and 8. The mice are exposed to DID and sacrificed at two separate time points (ZT 3 and ZT 15) to account for the peaks and troughs of circadian rhythms. Apremilast treatment has shown evidence to support amelioration of circadian rhythms leads to a decrease in ethanol intake. If circadian rhythms are increased in the VTA, then the amount of ethanol consumed will decrease.
Biographies
Courtney Ledford, Biology
Courtney Ledford is in pursuit of a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology. While studying at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, she gained acceptance into the BUILD EXITO research program. She transferred to Portland State University as a BUILD scholar, where she merited admission into the Honors College and the McNair Scholar program. Her interests are in pharmaceutical research to aid mental health, and specifically, substance abuse disorders. Courtney believes in developing holistic approaches to benefit individuals seeking addiction therapy. She is currently working in Dr. Ozburn’s lab at the Veterans Affairs Portland Alcohol Research Center. The lab studies the molecular mechanisms contributing to alcoholism and addiction to develop more efficacious treatments. She intends to apply to a neuropsychopharmacology-related Ph.D. program and begin graduate school in Fall of 2022.
Dr. Angela Ozburn, Faculty Mentor, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU
Dr. Ozburn is a Ph.D. Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University. Research in my laboratory contributes to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie addiction and to improved treatment of substance use disorders. Despite advances in neuroscience and psychiatry, we have much to gain in our understanding of substance use disorders and the development of more effective treatments. Our specific goals are to: 1) identify mechanisms mediating circadian gene effects on drug- and mood-related behaviors, and 2) identify how altering specific brain activity can alter alcohol-related behaviors and identify transcriptional mechanisms that underlie lasting reductions in binge-like drinking.
Disciplines
Biology
Subjects
Substance abuse, Binge drinking -- United States, Circadian rhythms
Rights
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36183
Research Paper
Included in
The Effect of Apremilast on Circadian Rhythm in the Ventral Tegmental Area
Chronic binge drinking negatively impacts society and is a leading cause of preventable deaths. The purpose of the experiment is to determine if regulation of circadian rhythms in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) will contribute to less ethanol consumption. The VTA plays a major role in addiction. A simple genetic animal model examines iHDID-1 mice and their binge-like drinking intake. The mice undergo Drinking in the Dark (DID) for 6 weeks prior to administration of apremilast or saline treatment at weeks 7 and 8. The mice are exposed to DID and sacrificed at two separate time points (ZT 3 and ZT 15) to account for the peaks and troughs of circadian rhythms. Apremilast treatment has shown evidence to support amelioration of circadian rhythms leads to a decrease in ethanol intake. If circadian rhythms are increased in the VTA, then the amount of ethanol consumed will decrease.