Region- and sex-dependent single-cell transcriptomic signatures of neurons and glia in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens in a rat model of alcohol relapse

Notably, sex differences in alcohol consumption patterns and susceptibility to relapse are well documented but remain poorly understood at the molecular level. In this study, we performed single-nuclei RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) from male and female outbred RccHan Wistar rats exposed to the alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) paradigm, a well-established model of relapse-like drinking behaviour.

Comparing high- to lowdrinking rats, we found pronounced transcriptional changes across different cell types, with the highest number of differentially expressed genes observed in GABAergic medium spiny neurons (MSNs) of the NAcc and glutamatergic neurons of the mPFC associated with relapse. Importantly, we also identified sex- and regiondependent transcriptional alterations, including differential expression of dopamine receptors and phosphodiesterase family genes, which have previously been associated with AUD in humans, as well as alterations in the transcription of genes associated with synaptic plasticity and neuroimmune signalling.