Enkephalinergic-dopaminergic "reward" pathways: a critical substrate for the stimulatory, euphoric and memory-enhancing actions of alcohol--a hypothesis.
Recent evidence indicates that alcohol (ethanol) exerts specific effects on dopaminergic-enkephalinergic neuronal pathways which are involved with natural drive-induction and have also been implicated in reward and memory consolidation. It is proposed herein that the euphorigenic and "paradoxical" memory-enhancing effects of low doses of alcohol are related to its direct actions on this specific brain substrate.
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005059:Euphoria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D012653:Self Stimulation / Q000502:physiology
D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D000431:Ethanol