The alpha2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, a subunit with unique and selective expression in inhibitory interneurons associated with principal cells.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) play crucial roles in various human disorders, with the α7, α4, α6, and α3-containing nAChR subtypes extensively studied in relation to conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, nicotine dependence, mood disorders, and stress disorders. In contrast, the α2-nAChR subunit has received less attention due to its more restricted expression and the scarcity of specific agonists and antagonists for studying its function. Nevertheless, recent research has shed light on the unique expression pattern of the Chrna2 gene, which encodes the α2-nAChR subunit, and its involvement in distinct populations of inhibitory interneurons.

Behavioral Profiles of Adolescent Alcohol-Preferring/Non-preferring (P/NP) and High/Low Alcohol-Drinking (HAD/LAD) Rats Are Dependent on Line but Not Sex.

Initial contact with alcohol generally occurs during adolescence, and high consumption during this period is associated with increased risk for later alcohol (AUDs) and/or substance use disorders (SUDs). Rodents selectively bred for high or low alcohol consumption are used to identify behavioral characteristics associated with a propensity for high or low voluntary alcohol intake. The multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) is a behavioral test developed to study rodents in a semi-naturalistic setting.

Behavioral Profiling in Early Adolescence and Early Adulthood of Male Wistar Rats After Short and Prolonged Maternal Separation.

Early-life stress and its possible correlations to genes, environment, and later health outcomes can only be studied retrospectively in humans. Animal models enable the exploration of such connections with prospective, well-controlled study designs. However, with the recent awareness of replicability issues in preclinical research, the reproducibility of results from animal models has been highlighted.

Adolescent Exploratory Strategies and Behavioral Types in the Multivariate Concentric Square Field Test.

Adolescence is an important developmental phase with extensive changes in behavior due to remodeling of the brain and hormonal systems. Validation of animal behavioral tests in this age group is therefore of importance as differences to adult behavior are often not clarified. The aim of the present study was to investigate adolescent behavior in the multivariate concentric square field (MCSF) test and its relationship to other common behavioral tests as well as to a literature dataset of adult animals.

Few long-term consequences after prolonged maternal separation in female Wistar rats.

Environmental factors during the early-life period are known to have long-term consequences for the adult phenotype. An intimate interplay between genes and environment shape the individual and may affect vulnerability for psychopathology in a sex-dependent manner. A rodent maternal separation model was here used to study the long-term effects of different early-life rearing conditions on adult behavior, HPA axis activity and long-term voluntary alcohol intake in female rats.

Altered corticosterone levels and social play behavior after prolonged maternal separation in adolescent male but not female Wistar rats.

Early-life socio-environmental factors are crucial for normal developmental processes; adverse experiences early in life can therefore lead to detrimental effects in several physiological systems. The aim of this study was to examine short-term effects of early adverse experiences in a maternal separation (MS) rodent model. In this study two separation conditions were used: daily 15- (MS15) or 360-min (MS360) separation of the litter from the dam during postnatal day 1-21.

Altered explorative strategies and reactive coping style in the FSL rat model of depression.

Modeling depression in animals is based on the observation of behaviors interpreted as analog to human symptoms. Typical tests used in experimental depression research are designed to evoke an either-or outcome. It is known that explorative and coping strategies are relevant for depression, however these aspects are generally not considered in animal behavioral testing.

Risk-assessment and risk-taking behavior predict potassium- and amphetamine-induced dopamine response in the dorsal striatum of rats.

Certain personality types and behavioral traits display high correlations to drug use and an increased level of dopamine in the reward system is a common denominator of all drugs of abuse. Dopamine response to drugs has been suggested to correlate with some of these personality types and to be a key factor influencing the predisposition to addiction. This study investigated if behavioral traits can be related to potassium- and amphetamine-induced dopamine response in the dorsal striatum, an area hypothesized to be involved in the shift from drug use to addiction.