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Ethanol effects on local cerebral glucose utilization in high-alcohol-drinking and low-alcohol-drinking rats.

Divergent ethanol-drinking behavior in rats selectively bred for high- or low-ethanol-drinking behavior could be related to differences in the sensitivity of the CNS to ethanol. In the current study, we examined the effects of acute (i.e., single injection) ethanol administration on local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) within selected brain regions of high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats. Adult, male, HAD and LAD rats from replicate line 2 were injected intraperitoneally with saline, or ethanol, at doses of 0.25 g/kg or 1.0 g/kg, during their dark cycle; 10 min later, [14C]-2-deoxyglucose ([14C]-2-DG; 125 microCi/kg) was injected into the femoral vein. Timed arterial blood samples were collected over 45 min and assayed for plasma glucose, ethanol, and [14C]-2-DG levels. Rats were then decapitated, and their brains were quickly extracted and frozen in isopentane at -50 degrees C. Coronal brain sections were prepared and apposed to x-ray film for 2 days, and image densities were determined by using quantitative autoradiography. Data were collected from several key limbic (nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, olfactory tubercle, amygdala, hippocampus, ventral pallidum, and septum), basal ganglia, cortical (medial prefrontal, frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, entorhinal, piriform, and cingulate), and subcortical (thalamus, habenula, and superior colliculus) structures. After administration of both low (0.25 g/kg) and moderate (1.0 g/kg) doses of ethanol, LCGU values were lower, relative to those for saline controls, in several CNS regions (lateral septum; posterior cingulate, frontal, parietal, and temporal cortices; dorsomedial striatum; and dorsomedial thalamus) of LAD but not HAD rats. These findings may indicate that certain CNS regions of LAD-2 rats are more sensitive than regions of HAD-2 rats to the effects of low-to-intermediate doses of ethanol.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Neurophysiological findings and drinking levels in high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

BACKGROUND: Specific neurophysiological profiles, such as reduced P300 amplitude or altered spectral power in the EEG, have been associated with a risk for alcoholism in several clinical populations. In certain rodent models, high versus low alcohol consumption is associated with similar neurophysiological differences. For example, alcohol-preferring (P) rats have increased spectral power and decreased P300 amplitudes compared with alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats. In the present study, the neurophysiological profiles of high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats were assessed (1) to determine if their electrophysiological profiles are similar to P and NP rats and (2) to examine the relationship of these neurophysiological indices to ethanol drinking. METHODS: Ethanol-naive HAD and LAD rats were implanted with cortical and amygdalar recording electrodes. Baseline EEG and event-related potentials (ERPs) then were assessed. Subsequently, all rats were trained to self-administer ethanol by using a sucrose-substitution procedure. RESULTS: Baseline EEG and ERP (i.e., pre-ethanol exposure) were assessed based on line (HAD versus LAD) and actual ethanol consumption (high drinkers versus low drinkers). At baseline, ethanol-naive HAD rats displayed significantly greater power in the cortical EEG and decreased amygdala N1 ERP amplitude compared with ethanol-naive LAD rats. Similar EEG and ERP profiles have been observed when P and NP rats are compared. No differences in P300 between lines were observed, but high-drinking rats, independent of line, had significantly decreased P300 amplitude in the amygdala compared with low-drinking rats. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest there are some similarities in EEG and ERP profiles of P and HAD rats compared with NP and LAD rats. Furthermore, the data suggest that decreased P300 amplitude in the amygdala is associated with increased limited access ethanol drinking.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Alcohol Drinking and Risk of Breast Cancer.

Using a case-control design, the authors studied female residents of five Massachusetts towns between 1983 and 1986. The objective was to measure the association between breast cancer occurrence and drinking alcohol. Cohort and case-control studies have often observed an association between drinking alcohol and breast cancer risk. In this study, women with any history of drinking alcohol had a risk of breast cancer 1.2-fold greater than women who never drank alcohol (95% confidence interval 0.7-1.8). The relative risk of breast cancer did not depend on the usual number of drinks per day or drinking history relative to time of diagnosis. Women who reported ever having a period of 6 months or more during which they drank more than average had an adjusted relative risk of breast cancer equal to 2.6 (95% confidence interval 1.1-5.8). The estimates of effect are consistent with the positive dose-response trends reported in a pooled analysis of large cohort studies and a meta-analysis of a broader spectrum of studies. Alcohol drinking remains one of the few risk factors for breast cancer amenable to intervention.

Journal Article↗

A characterization of approach and avoidance learning in high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

BACKGROUND: This study was undertaken as one of a series of experiments designed to examine basic behavioral characteristics present in rats bred specifically for alcohol preference. The basic premise for these experiments has been the idea that alcohol-preferring and -nonpreferring rats may differ in basic activation and inhibition control mechanisms that govern behavior and that different lines of alcohol-preferring rats may demonstrate differential deficits in behavioral activation and behavioral inhibition tendencies. In the present experiment, conditioned approach and avoidance behaviors were studied in alcohol-naïve high-alcohol-drinking (HAD), low-alcohol-drinking (LAD), and N/NIH rats to evaluate behavioral activation in this line of rats. METHODS: High alcohol drinking (HAD1), low alcohol drinking (LAD1), and N/Nih stock rats were trained to press a response bar during a tone signal to avoid a mild foot shock or receive a food reward. In addition, HAD2 and LAD2 rats, independently-bred replicate lines of the HAD1/LAD1 rats, were trained on the avoidance task. RESULTS: Although the HAD1 rats easily learned the appetitive version of the bar-pressing task, they did not learn the avoidance response. The LAD1 and N/Nih rats learned both the approach and the avoidance tasks normally. Similar to HAD1 rats, the HAD2 rats did not learn the avoidance response whereas LAD2 rats showed significant avoidance performance levels. CONCLUSIONS: The present data demonstrated that both HAD1 and HAD2 rats had a rather specific behavioral activation deficit: although they easily learned to press a bar to receive food reinforcement, they did not learn to press the bar to avoid a foot shock. We speculate that this failure to learn the avoidance response may be related to heightened anxiety in the HAD rats and that this excessive anxiety may lead to the development of high levels of alcohol consumption in these selectively bred rats.

Alcoholism↗

Why can't Chinese Han drink alcohol? Hepatitis B virus infection and the evolution of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency.

An aldehyde-dehydrogenase (ALDH2) deficiency is a biological curb on excess alcohol-drinking. This enzyme deficiency is very common amongst Oriental people while it is relatively rare for most other populations. We observe that there is good geographical correlation between the prevalence of the mutant ALDH2*2 alleles and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. Populations that demonstrate a high ALDH2*2 prevalence are all located in HBV-endemic areas. Further, studies have shown that HBV and alcohol drinking exhibit a synergistic effect upon liver cirrhosis and cancer. A shorter life span for those with HBV infection and heavy alcohol consumption may result in a selection of the ALDH2*2 gene. We postulate that there may be patterns of evolutionary adaptation for ALDH2 deficiency in certain HBV-endemic areas and that these adaptations can produce differences in human alcohol-drinking capability.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Quantitative autoradiography of mu-opioid receptors in the CNS of high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

BACKGROUND: The binding of [3H]DAMGO to mu-opioid sites was measured in the CNS of selectively bred high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats to test the hypothesis that high alcohol preference is associated with higher densities of mu-opioid receptors. METHODS: Adult, alcohol-naïve male HAD and LAD rats from replicate line 1 were decapitated and their brains frozen in isopentane. Brain sections were incubated with 5 nM [3H]DAMGO, and nonspecific binding was determined in the presence of unlabeled DAMGO. Films were exposed for 60 days, then analyzed using quantitative autoradiography. RESULTS: The densities of [3H]DAMGO binding sites were measured within subregions of neocortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, diencephalon, and brainstem. LAD rats had significantly higher [3H]DAMGO binding (10-30%) than HAD rats within the anterior dorsal hippocampus (CA2), posterior hippocampus (dorsal CA1, and ventral CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus), thalamus (medial dorsal, lateral, medial dorsal, central, ventral lateral, ventral medial, and ventral medial geniculate nuclei), habenula, and amygdala. No significant interline differences were found in the prefrontal, cingulate, frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital or entorhinal cortices, olfactory tubercle, nucleus accumbens, lateral septum, ventral tegmental area, hypothalamus, caudate-putamen, substantia nigra, claustrum, central gray, or superior colliculus. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings with the HAD and LAD lines do not support the hypothesis that high alcohol preference is associated with higher densities of CNS mu-opioid receptors. Instead, the present results, in combination with previously published findings, suggest that the mu-opioid system may play a complex role in regulating high-alcohol-drinking behavior.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Alcohol drinking of alcohol-preferring AA rats is differentially affected by clozapine and olanzapine.

Clinical evidence suggests that atypical antipsychotic drugs might reduce alcohol drinking and help to maintain abstinence. This study aimed to compare the effects of two widely used atypical antipsychotic drugs clozapine and olanzapine on alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring AA (Alko, Alcohol) rats that were taught to drink 10% alcohol in a 4 h limited access paradigm. Effects of acute clozapine (0, 0.3, 1.0 and 5.0 mg/kg) and olanzapine (0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1.25 mg/kg) treatments on the limited access alcohol drinking were studied. In repeated treatment experiment, clozapine (1.0 mg/kg) or olanzapine (0.5 mg/kg) was administered once daily, before limited access alcohol drinking session, over 5 successive days. To reveal any effect of the drugs selective for alcohol drinking, alcohol was exchanged with 0.1% saccharin solution for the 4 h limited access, and acute treatments were repeated. Effects of the drugs on ambulatory locomotor activity were tested with doses that were used in the acute experiments. Acute clozapine treatment had no effect on either alcohol or saccharin drinking, but olanzapine significantly reduced 4 h alcohol drinking. Repeated olanzapine treatment significantly reduced 4 h alcohol drinking when compared with vehicle or clozapine, but a tolerance developed to this effect. Repeated clozapine treatment produced no significant effect compared with vehicle. Both drugs significantly reduced locomotor activity. In conclusion, the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine non-selectively reduced alcohol drinking, while clozapine failed to do so, even if both were administered at pharmacologically effective doses.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Naltrexone increases the latency to drink alcohol in social drinkers.

We investigated the effects of naltrexone (NTX) on alcohol drinking, urge to drink alcohol, and alcohol-induced sensations and mood states in social drinkers consuming alcohol ad libitum in a cocktail bar. Sixteen college-age men and women participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects, cross-over study. Subjects were tested during each of three drug conditions: NTX, 50 mg/ day, po; inactive placebo; and no drug. Each treatment condition lasted 8 to 11 days. Small groups of subjects consumed alcohol ad libitum during three 2-hr evening drinking sessions, separated by approximately-2 weeks. NTX treatment significantly increased the latency (time in seconds) to first sip the first (p < 0.05) and second alcoholic beverages consumed (p < 0.01). Moreover, the mean blood alcohol concentration at the end of the session was significantly lower when subjects were treated with NTX (p < 0.05). No differences were found on self-report urge to drink alcohol. Subjects reported more fatigue and tension on the Profile of Mood States (p < 0.05), before drinking, and increases in nausea on the Alcohol Sensation Scale (p < 0.05) when treated with NTX. The increase in the latency to sip the first and second alcoholic beverages may reflect the capacity of NTX to block urge for alcohol elicited from external cues (before consuming alcohol), as well as urge for alcohol after priming from ingested alcohol. Thus, the effectiveness of NTX for reducing drinking behaviors of alcoholics may be partially caused by anticraving properties of NTX.

Adult↗

Influence of drinking alcohol on atherosclerotic risk in alcohol flushers and non-flushers of Oriental patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: Facial flushing caused by alcohol drinking is a typical symptom of high sensitivity to alcohol in orientals. We investigated whether drinking alcohol influences atherosclerotic risk factors in alcohol flushers and non-flushers in patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed using 225 subjects with type 2 diabetes. Sensitivity to alcohol was surveyed by a questionnaire on facial flushing. Subjects were divided into three groups by average amount of alcohol drinking (non-drinkers; light drinkers: <140 g/week; heavy drinkers: 140 g/week or more). RESULTS: Systolic blood pressure and blood HDL cholesterol were significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers. There were no significant differences in body mass index, blood pressure, blood total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, uric acid, fibrinogen and sialic acid levels in flushers and non-flushers. In alcohol flushers, diastolic blood pressure and HDL cholesterol in heavy drinkers were significantly higher than those in non-drinkers, and systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in heavy drinkers than in non-drinkers and light drinkers. On the other hand, blood pressure and HDL cholesterol in non-flushers were not significantly different among non-, light and heavy drinkers. Serum total cholesterol was not significantly different among the three drinking groups both in flushers and non-flushers. CONCLUSIONS: Blood pressure and HDL cholesterol are more prone to be affected by drinking in flushers than in non-flushers, suggesting that alcohol sensitivity evaluated by flushing response due to drinking alcohol should be taken into account when the effects of alcohol drinking on atherosclerotic risk factors are considered in oriental patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aged↗

Acetaldehyde-reinforcing effects: differences in low-alcohol-drinking (UChA) and high-alcohol-drinking (UChB) rats.

It has been suggested that acetaldehyde has a biphasic effect on voluntary alcohol consumption. At low brain concentration, it might exert reinforcing effects, whereas high acetaldehyde levels would be predominantly aversive. The objective of the current study was to compare the effect of an intraperitoneal dose of acetaldehyde (50 mg/kg) in high-alcohol-drinking (UChB) and low-alcohol-drinking (UChA) rat lines, which differ in the activity of the brain mitochondrial class 2 aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) as a consequence of differences in their ALDH2 genotypes. A classical place-conditioning procedure was used to determine the reinforcing or aversive (or both) effects of acetaldehyde in ethanol-naive UChB and UChA rats. Environmental cues were paired with an intraperitoneal 50-mg/kg injection of acetaldehyde. On 10 consecutive days, each rat received one place conditioning per day; the acetaldehyde-pairing was alternated with saline-pairing. Results showed that conditioning with the 50-mg/kg dose of acetaldehyde induced place preference in UChB rats and place aversion in UChA rats. In a second experiment, UChB and UChA rats, pretested for ethanol preference, were injected with one 50-mg/kg dose of acetaldehyde or saline and tested for their voluntary ethanol consumption during 4 weeks. Results showed that the acetaldehyde dose induced a persistent and long-lasting enhancement of ethanol intake in UChB rats, but not in UChA rats. These results, together with the finding that after administration of a 50-mg/kg dose of acetaldehyde cerebral venous blood acetaldehyde levels in UChA rats were consistently higher than levels in UChB rats, support the suggestion that differential acetaldehyde levels, differential brain ALDH2 activity, or both were responsible for the different effects of acetaldehyde in the two rat lines.

Acetaldehyde↗

Differential responding for brain stimulation reward and sucrose in high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the associations among selective breeding for alcohol preference, intake of sweet solutions, and responding for brain stimulation reward (BSR), a nonoral reinforcer, in alcohol-preferring high-alcohol-drinking (HAD)-1 and nonpreferring low-alcohol-drinking (LAD)-1 rats. METHODS: Adult male HAD-1 and LAD-1 rats were trained to lever press for medial forebrain bundle stimulation. Current intensity was varied in separate sessions to generate a rate/intensity function. To further examine BSR responding, the animals responded for stimulation at 100 Hz and at a fixed current intensity on an FR1 schedule. In subsequent sessions, the schedule was increased to FR6 and then to FR12. To examine responding for the sucrose solution, we trained a separate group of HAD-1/LAD-1 rats to bar press for sucrose on an FR1 schedule. Similar to the BSR experiment, in following sessions, the schedule was increased to an FR6 and then to an FR12 schedule. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed between the two rat lines across a range of current intensities. As the reinforcement schedule increased, HAD-1 rats exhibited a dramatic decrease in BSR responding, whereas the LAD-1 rats displayed a more protracted reduction. In contrast to BSR, marked elevations in responding were observed for sucrose as the schedule increased. However, in HAD-1 rats, response rates were similar on the FR6 and FR12 schedules, whereas LAD-1 rats showed a reduction in response rates from the FR6 to FR12 schedule. Furthermore, HAD-1 rats exhibited significantly more responses compared with LAD-1 rats across the three reinforcement schedules. An analysis of the response profile for the three reinforcement schedules suggested that few if any postreinforcement pauses were exhibited when the reinforcer was BSR compared with sucrose in both lines. CONCLUSION: Medial forebrain bundle BSR is a powerful reinforcer in both HAD-1 and LAD-1 lines. However, BSR responding was not associated with selective breeding for alcohol preference. In contrast, selective breeding for alcohol preference was associated with sucrose consumption, especially as the amount of work increased. The lack of correspondence between BSR and sweet taste rewards in HAD-1 and LAD-1 lines may suggest important differences yet an overlapping brain reward mechanism in the control of motivated behaviors in these selected lines.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Differences in sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol in low-alcohol drinking (UChA) and high-alcohol drinking (UChB) rats.

A conditioned taste aversion paradigm was used to determine whether aversion to the pharmacological effects of ethanol, apart from orosensory cues, can contribute to differences in voluntary ethanol consumption in rats of the low-alcohol drinking (UChA) and the high-alcohol drinking (UChB) strains. "Alcohol-naive" UChA and UChB rats were injected intraperitoneally with ethanol (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g/kg) or saline, paired with consumption of a banana-flavored solution during five conditioning trials. Repeated pairings of banana-flavored solution and ethanol at a dose of 1.5 g/kg produced aversion to the banana-flavored solution in UChA rats, but not in UChB rats, at comparable blood ethanol levels. In addition, the highest dose of ethanol tested (2.0 g/kg) produced stronger aversion to the banana-flavored solution in UChA rats, compared with findings in UChB rats. From these results it is suggested that rats of the UChA strain find the postingestional effects of high-dose ethanol more aversive than do UChB rats. Differences in voluntary ethanol consumption seem to be associated with differences in sensitivity to the aversive effects of ethanol.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Local cerebral glucose utilization rates in alcohol-naïve high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

BACKGROUND: The present study compared baseline local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) values within reward-relevant brain regions in alcohol-naïve, adult male high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats from replicate lines 1 and 2. METHODS: 2-[14C]Deoxyglucose ([14C]2-DG) was injected (125 microCi/kg) intravenously during the rats' dark cycle. Timed arterial blood samples were collected over 45 min and assayed for glucose as well as [14C]2-DG content. Rats were then decapitated; their brains quickly removed and frozen in isopentane at -50 degrees C. Coronal sections from each brain were apposed to film and exposed for 2 days. Image densities were analyzed using quantitative autoradiography. RESULTS: Data were collected from several key limbic (nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, olfactory tubercle, amygdala, hippocampus, ventral pallidum, and septum), basal ganglia, cortical (medial prefrontal, frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, entorhinal, pyriform, and cingulate), and subcortical (thalamus, habenula, and superior colliculus) structures. Because there were no significant differences between the replicates within each drinking line, data from the two replicates were combined to determine drinking line differences. When both replicate lines were combined, there were trends toward higher (approximately 15%) LCGU rates in HAD (n = 15) versus LAD (n = 16) rats within the parietal and occipital cortices, but neither of these line differences reached statistical significance (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggested that, within the HAD and LAD replicate rat lines, the selection for alcohol preference did not lead to differences in functional brain activity, as measured with the 2-DG method.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Aversion to acetaldehyde: differences in low-alcohol-drinking (UChA) and high-alcohol-drinking (UChB) rats.

We have previously found the existence of a relation between activity of the brain mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) and consumption of ethanol in rats of the low-alcohol-drinking (UChA) and the high-alcohol-drinking (UChB) strains. The aim of the present study was to determine whether UChA and UChB rats also differed in sensitivity to the aversive effects of acetaldehyde (AcH). Aversion to AcH was studied by using a conditioned taste aversion (CTA) paradigm. Ethanol naive UChA and UChB rats were administered AcH intraperitoneally (50, 100, or 150 mg/kg) or saline and exposed to a banana-flavored solution during five conditioning trials. A strong dose-dependent CTA to AcH was found in UChA rats, whereas UChB rats did not show a CTA to any dose of AcH. At equal doses of AcH, cerebral venous blood AcH levels in UChA rats were consistently higher than in UChB rats, a finding that may reflect the previously observed differences in the activity of ALDH2 between these strains. However, this observation is unlikely to explain fully the differences observed because aversion to AcH was developed in the UChA strain at blood levels of AcH that did not produce any aversion in the UChB strain. These results support the suggestion that, for the first time, differences in central or systemic effects of AcH per se may play a major role in determining the aversion to AcH in drinker and nondrinker animals.

Acetaldehyde↗

Involvement of mu-opioid receptors in alcohol drinking by alcohol-preferring AA rats.

The present study examined the role of mu- and delta-opioid receptors in alcohol drinking using antagonists selective for these receptor types. Food- and water-sated male and female AA (Alko, alcohol) rats consistently drank 10% alcohol during daily 30-min access periods in their home cages in the middle of the 12-h light phase. On 3 consecutive days, the animals received the mu-opioid receptor antagonist D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH2 (CTOP, 1 micrograms ICv), the delta-receptor antagonist N,N-diallyl-Try-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH (ICI 174,864, 3 micrograms ICV), or saline 15 min before the alcohol access period. Relative to saline, the mu-antagonist CTOP decreased alcohol drinking both by males and females progressively over the 3 treatment days, with a continued suppression on the first days after the termination of the administration. Treatment with the delta-antagonist ICI 174,864 had no effect on alcohol drinking in males, and produced transient hind limb dysfunction and barrel rolling in over half of the females. These results suggest that selective blockage of mu-opioid receptors is sufficient to suppress alcohol drinking in AA rats.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Regional CNS densities of serotonin and dopamine receptors in high alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats.

The densities of subtypes of serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (DA) receptors were determined in the CNS of male alcohol-naive HAD and LAD lines of rats. Autoradiographic studies were undertaken to measure the densities of (a) 5-HT1A sites labelled with 2 nM [3H]8-OH DPAT, (b) 5-HT2A sites labelled with 2 nM [3H] ketanserin, (c) D1 sites labelled with 1 nM [3H]SCH23390, and (d) D2 sites labelled with 20 nM [3H]sulpiride. Membrane binding, using tissue combined from the olfactory bulb, olfactory tubercle, and nucleus accumbens, was carried out to determine Kd and Bmax values for the binding of 0.25-8.0 nM [3H]7-OH DPAT to D3 sites. Among the 14 regions measured for densities of 5-HT1A sites, no interline differences were found in the cerebral cortical regions or in the septal nuclei; however, within the hippocampus, 15-20% lower binding of [3H]8-OH DPAT was observed in the posterior dorsal CA3 and dentate gyrus of the HAD line. There were no interline differences in any of the 10 regions examined for [3H]ketanserin binding to 5-HT2A sites, or in the densities of D1 and D2 sites in the mesolimbic and nigrostriatal DA systems, except for a 35% higher density of D2 sites in the substantia nigra pars compacta of the HAD line. There were no interline differences in the Kd or Bmax values for [3H]7-OH DPAT binding to D3 sites. Overall, these results indicate that no marked interline differences are evident in the densities of 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A, D1, D2, and D3 receptors within the mesolimbic system that could be associated with the disparate alcohol drinking behaviors of the HAD and LAD rats.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗

Neurophysiological profiles of replicate line 2 high-alcohol-drinking (HAD-2) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD-2) rats.

RATIONALE: A select number of electrophysiological findings have been demonstrated to differentiate rat lines selectively bred for high and low ethanol preference. OBJECTIVE: In the present study, EEGs and event-related potentials (ERPs) of high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) and low-alcohol-drinking (LAD) rats from replicate line 2 (HAD-2 and LAD-2) were assessed to determine if their neurophysiological profiles are similar to selected lines previously evaluated. METHODS: Rats obtained from Indiana University were implanted with cortical and amygdalar recording electrodes. Baseline EEG and ERPs were assessed in ethanol-naïve HAD-2 and LAD-2 rats. Animals subsequently were trained to self-administer ethanol by using a sucrose-substitution procedure. RESULTS: Compared with LAD-2 rats, HAD-2 rats displayed greater parietal cortical power in the 6 to 32 Hz frequency range of the EEG. Greater parietal cortical peak frequency in the 2 to 4 Hz range and decreased frontal, parietal, and amygdalar peak frequencies in the 16 to 32 Hz frequency range were also seen. Compared with LAD-2 rats, HAD-2 rats had decreased P2 latency of ERPs recorded in the parietal cortex. HAD-2 rats also had greater frontal, parietal, and amygdalar P2 amplitudes, greater frontal and parietal cortical P1 amplitudes, and greater parietal cortical P3 amplitudes compared with LAD-2 rats. As anticipated, HAD-2 rats consumed significantly greater levels of sucrose, sucrose-ethanol, and ethanol over the course of the sucrose-substitution procedure compared with LAD-2 rats. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that increased cortical power is associated with high ethanol preference in a number of selectively bred rat lines. However, unique electrophysiological characteristics may index alcohol preference in each line.

Alcohol Drinking↗