Possible Interaction: Ethanol and Dopamine

“Acute ethanol administration increases striatal dopamine release and decreases cerebral glucose metabolism.”

“Individual differences in cardiac responsivity to ethanol might provide a peripheral marker of responsiveness to pharmacological manipulations of dopamine.”

“Consumption of large quantities of alcohol or carbohydrates (carbohydrate bingeing) stimulates production and usage of dopamine within the brain; the termreward deficiency syndrome (RDS) may be used to categorize such biologic influences on behavior.”

“Due to a central role of dopamine in mediating ethanol intake and dependence, the authors tested lisuride, a dopamine D2 receptor agonist, for relapse prevention in alcoholics.”

“ Alcohol mediates its reinforcing effects by enhancing dopamine activity in the mesolimbic dopamine system.”

“We further demonstrate that in dop-2 mutants, ethanol exposure increases dopamine secretion and functions in a DVA interneuron dependent manner.”

“These effects are ethanol and nicotine concentration‐dependent, … with positive allosteric action of ethanol.5 mM ethanol increases dopamine neuron transient frequency and amplitude in mouse brain nucleus accumbens slices.&agr;‐conotoxin MII sensitivity indicates that native &agr;6*‐nAChR mediate low dose ethanol effects on dopamine neuronal function.”

“Extensive research has implicated the dopamine system in both the acute pharmacological effects of alcohol and the symptomology of alcohol use disorders that develop after extended alcohol use.”

“Exposure to moderate doses of ethanol during adolescence produced alterations in dopamine in the nucleus accumbens septi during adolescence and later in adulthood.”

“Accumulating evidence indicates that ethanol modulates the functional output of this system by directly affecting the firing activity of VTA dopamine neurons, whereas withdrawal from chronic ethanol exposure leads to a reduction in the functional output of these neurons.”