Activation of GABAB receptors in central amygdala attenuates activity of PKCδ + neurons and suppresses punishment-resistant alcohol self-administration in rats

Alcohol use despite negative consequences is a core phenomenon of alcohol addiction. We recently used alcohol self-administration that is resistant to footshock punishment as a model of this behavior, and found that activity of PKCδ + GABAergic neurons in the central amygdala (CeA) is a determinant of individual susceptibility for punishment resistance. In the present study, we examined whether activation of GABAB receptors in CeA can attenuate the activity of PKCδ + neurons in this region, and whether this will result in suppression of punishment- resistant alcohol self-administration in the minority of rats that show this behavior. Systemic administration of the clinically approved GABAB agonist baclofen (1 and 3 mg/kg) dose- dependently reduced punishment-resistant alcohol self-administration. Bilateral microinjections of baclofen into CeA (64 ng in 0.3 µl/side) reduced the activity of PKCδ + neurons, as measured by Fos expression. This manipulation also selectively suppressed punished alcohol self-administration in punishment-resistant rats. Expression analysis indicated that virtually all CeA PKCδ + neurons express the GABAB receptor. Using in vitro electrophysiology, we found that baclofen induced hyperpolarization of CeA neurons, reducing their firing rate in response to depolarizing current injections. Together, our findings provide a potential mechanism that contributes to the clinical efficacy of baclofen in alcohol addiction. Therapeutic use of baclofen itself is limited by problems of tolerance and need for dose escalation. Our findings support a mechanistic rationale for developing novel, improved alcohol addiction medications that target GABAB receptors, and that lack these limitations, such as e.g., GABAB positive allosteric modulators (PAM:s).