Genetic differences in the effects of voluntary ethanol consumption on brain monoamine levels in inbred strains of mice, C57BL/6J, C3H/He and DBA/2Cr.
This study was carried out to determine whether concentrations of the brain monoamines noradrenaline (NA), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine or serotonin (5-HT) are different in three inbred strains of mice (C57BL/6J, C3H/He and DBA/2Cr) known to differ in their preference to alcohol, when they were given a free choice of 10% (v/v) ethanol and tap water to drink for 4 weeks. Mice of these three strains showed mean ethanol intakes of 4.41, 1.76 and 0.77 g/kg/day respectively. Levels of the above brain monoamines did not change in the alcohol-preferring C57BL/6J mice, but in those with less preference for alcohol, C3H/He and DBA/2Cr, there were significant increases in DA and 5-HT levels respectively during the 4-week experiment. These findings suggest that inbred strains of mice show genetic differences of susceptibility to ethanol and that the strains with a low preference for alcohol undergo neurochemical changes after exposure to 10% ethanol and water even by free choice.
Yoshimoto
K
K
Department of Legal Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
Komura
S
S
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000502:physiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology
D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine