Figure 3.

Chronic ethanol self-administration induces depression-like behavior and inhibits hippocampal neurogenesis. C57BL/6J mice self-administered either ethanol (10% v/v) or water for 28 days. (A) Abstinence-induced increase in immobility (seconds) on the forced swim test provides an index of depression-like behavior. Abstinence from chronic ethanol consumption resulted in increased negative affect. (B) Ethanol self-administration decreased PCNA, a marker of cell proliferation, in the neurogenic region of the hippocampal dentate gyrus. (C) Ethanol self-administration decreased doublecortin expression, a marker of neurogenesis, in the dentate gyrus. Reduced progenitor cell proliferation and neurogenesis is associated with increased depression-like behavior. Furthermore, these studies are consistent with the research suggesting that decreased hippocampal neurogenesis is linked to depression. Finally, desipramine treatment, an anti-depressant, reversed both the reduced hippocampal neurogenesis and the depression-like behavior in abstinent mice (see Stevenson et al., 2009).