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Beer self-administration provokes lateralized nucleus accumbens dopamine release in male heavy drinkers

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Abstract

Rationale

Although striatal dopamine (DA) is important in alcohol abuse, the nature of DA release during actual alcohol drinking is unclear, since drinking includes self-administration of both conditioned flavor stimuli (CS) of the alcoholic beverage and subsequent intoxication, the unconditioned stimulus (US).

Objectives

Here, we used a novel self-administration analog to distinguish nucleus accumbens (NAcc) DA responses specific to the CS and US.

Methods

Right-handed male heavy drinkers (n = 26) received three positron emission tomography (PET) scans with the D2/D3 radioligand [11C]raclopride (RAC) and performed a pseudo self-administration task that separately administered a flavor CS of either a habitually consumed beer or the appetitive control Gatorade®, concomitant with the US of ethanol intoxication (0.06 g/dL intravenous (IV) administration) or IV saline. Scan conditions were Gatorade flavor + saline (Gat&Sal), Gatorade flavor + ethanol (Gat&Eth), and beer flavor + ethanol (Beer&Eth).

Results

Ethanol (US) reduced RAC binding (inferring DA release) in the left (L) NAcc [Gat&Sal > Gat&Eth]. Beer flavor (CS) increased DA in the right (R) NAcc [Gat&Eth > Beer&Eth]. The combination of beer flavor and ethanol (CS + US), [Gat&Sal > Beer&Eth], induced DA release in bilateral NAcc. Self-reported intoxication during scanning correlated with L NAcc DA release. Relative to saline, infusion of ethanol increased alcoholic drink wanting.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest lateralized DA function in the NAcc, with L NAcc DA release most reflecting intoxication, R NAcc DA release most reflecting the flavor CS, and the conjoint CS + US producing a bilateral NAcc response.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Kevin Perry, Wendy Territo, Michele Beal, Courtney Robbins (Dept. of Radiology and Imaging Sciences), Dr. William Eiler, and Traci Mitchell (Dept. of Neurology) for technical assistance, and Dwight Hector for design and construction of the gustometer. This study was supported by R01 AA017661 (DAK), the Indiana Alcohol Research Center P60 AA007611 for additional support to DAK, and TR000006 (Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, Clinical Research Center at Indiana University School of Medicine), T32 AA007462 (BGO), and R01 AA018354 (KKY).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest and maintain full control of all primary data and agree to allow the journal to review the data upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSOM), 355 W 16th St. Ste 4600, Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Brandon G. Oberlin, Mario Dzemidzic, Stella M. Tran, Christina M. Soeurt & David A. Kareken

  2. Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Center for Neuroimaging, IUSOM, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Mario Dzemidzic, Karmen K. Yoder & David A. Kareken

  3. Department of Psychiatry, IUSOM, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Sean J. O’Connor & David A. Kareken

  4. Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Sean J. O’Connor

  5. Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, IUSOM, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Karmen K. Yoder & David A. Kareken

  6. Department of Psychology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Karmen K. Yoder

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  1. Brandon G. Oberlin
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  2. Mario Dzemidzic
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  7. David A. Kareken
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Correspondence to David A. Kareken.

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Oberlin, B.G., Dzemidzic, M., Tran, S.M. et al. Beer self-administration provokes lateralized nucleus accumbens dopamine release in male heavy drinkers. Psychopharmacology 232, 861–870 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3720-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3720-1

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