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Ethanol drinking involves astrocytes in male Wistar rats.
Xiaoying Tan1, Zheng-Ming Ding2
1Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 700 HMC Crescent Road, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
Behavioural Brain Research
|June 2, 2026
Summary
Chronic ethanol drinking increases glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in specific brain regions. Inhibiting astrocytes with fluorocitrate reduced alcohol intake, suggesting astrocytes play a key role in alcohol consumption.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurobiology
- Glial Cell Biology
Background:
- Astrocytes are the most abundant glial cells in the brain.
- Ethanol consumption alters glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in corticolimbic regions.
- Subregional effects of ethanol on GFAP and the role of astrocytes in alcohol drinking are understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the subregional effects of chronic intermittent ethanol drinking on GFAP expression in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAc).
- To examine the impact of pharmacological inhibition of astrocytes on alcohol drinking behavior.
Main Methods:
- Western blot analysis was used to quantify GFAP expression in specific subregions of the mPFC and NAc after chronic intermittent ethanol exposure.
- Fluorocitrate, an astrocyte metabolic inhibitor, was administered intracerebroventricularly to assess its effects on ethanol intake and preference.
Main Results:
- Chronic intermittent ethanol drinking significantly increased GFAP protein levels in the prelimbic (PL) cortex and nucleus accumbens (NAc) core.
- Fluorocitrate administration selectively reduced ethanol intake and preference in mice.
- Fluorocitrate did not affect total fluid consumption, water intake, or basal locomotor activity, indicating specificity.
Conclusions:
- Intermittent ethanol consumption induces GFAP elevation in a subregion-specific manner within the mPFC and NAc.
- Targeting astrocyte metabolism with fluorocitrate can attenuate alcohol drinking behavior.
- Astrocytes play a significant role in the neurobiological mechanisms underlying chronic intermittent ethanol consumption.
