Systemic Interplay of BDNF and Serotonin Pathways Defines Behavioral and Molecular Responses to Midbrain 5-HT7 Overexpression and Chronic Ethanol Consumption

Chronic ethanol exposure and genetic factors interact to drive neuroadaptations in alcohol use disorders (AUD). However, the system-level coordination of molecular responses across brain regions remains unclear. The 5-HT system and BDNF are key regulators of neuroplasticity in alcoholism. The 5-HT7 receptor modulates both behavior and serotonin signaling. We investigated midbrain 5-HT7 overexpression in C57BL/6 mice given 5-week ethanol access. Our results showed complex, region-specific changes in 5-HT and BDNF signaling, as well as selective behavioral alterations. Ethanol abolished the antidepressant-like effect of 5-HT7 overexpression and increased anxiety-like behavior, without affecting baseline locomotion or novel object recognition. At the molecular level, ethanol suppressed 5-HT7-mediated CREB/BDNF signaling and differentially regulated 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A expression across regions. To extract general principles, we used integrative systems analysis based on population-averaged generalized estimating equations (GEE), and mapped effects in the (t1, t2) plane. We identified two regularities: first, regional specificity of responses, and second, divergence across regulatory levels, with opposing effects more frequent at the mRNA level and concordant effects more common at the protein level. These findings suggest that neuroadaptation to combined 5-HT7 and ethanol factors follows region- and level-specific rules, rather than a single global program, underscoring the value of integrative analysis.