Low doses of ethanol activate dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area |
| |
| Authors: | Gian Luigi Gessa Francesco Muntoni Maria Collu Lidia Vargiu Giampaolo Mereu |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. NIHR University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology & National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom;2. Epilepsy Society, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 0RJ, United Kingdom;3. Epilepsy Center, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany;4. Service de Neurophysiologie Clinique, APHM, Hôpital de la Timone, 13005 Marseille, France;5. INSERM UMR 1106, INS, 27 Bd Jean Moulin, 13385 Marseille, France;6. Aix Marseille Université, Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France;7. Hôpital Henri Gastaut, Etablissement Hospitalier Spécialisé dans le traitement des Epilepsies, 300 Boulevard de Sainte-Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France;8. Clinical Neurosciences Department, King''s College, NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, United Kingdom |
| |
| Abstract: | In unanesthetized rats the intravenous administration of low doses of ethanol (0.125-0.5 g/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase (30-80%) in the firing rate of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA). In agreement with previous observations, a dose range between 0.5 and 2 g/mg of ethanol was needed to produce comparable stimulant responses in DA neurons of the Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta. However, in anesthetized rats, doses of ethanol up to 1 g/kg failed to activate VTA-DA neurons. The high sensitivity of VTA-DA neurons to ethanol activation suggests that they might be involved in the reinforcing properties of the drug. |
| |
| Keywords: | ethanol dopamine A10 neuron |
| 本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
|
