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Oral ethanol self-administration in rats is reduced by the administration of dopamine and glutamate receptor antagonists into the nucleus accumbens

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of endogenous dopamine and glutamate systems within the nucleus accumbens in modulating responses for oral ethanol reinforcements (10% w/v) in a free-choice operant task. Pretreatment with both systemic (100 µg/kg) and intra-nucleus accumbens microinjection of fluphenazine (2 and 4 µg), a dopamine receptor antagonist, significantly decreased responding for ethanol, without significantly affecting responses for water. Ethanol self-administration was also attenuated by microinjection into the nucleus accumbens of 2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid (AP-5, 3 and 6 µg), a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. These results suggest that dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens may regulate ethanol self-administration and its reinforcing effects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10666 North Torrey Pines Road, 92037, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Stefanie Rassnick, Luigi Pulvirenti & George F. Koob

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  1. Stefanie Rassnick
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  2. Luigi Pulvirenti
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  3. George F. Koob
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Rassnick, S., Pulvirenti, L. & Koob, G.F. Oral ethanol self-administration in rats is reduced by the administration of dopamine and glutamate receptor antagonists into the nucleus accumbens. Psychopharmacology 109, 92–98 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245485

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02245485

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