The nucleus accumbens is a site of action for the inhibitory effect of ritanserin on ethanol intake in rats.
The present study evaluated the effect of central injections of the 5-HT2/1C receptor antagonist, ritanserin, on ethanol intake in rats with developed preference for 3% ethanol. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections of ritanserin (10 micrograms/rat/day for 10 days) decreased ethanol preference, while subcutaneous (SC) treatment with the same dose was ineffective. Ritanserin ICV, 1 microgram/rat/day, did not reduce alcohol preference. Bilateral injections of ritanserin into the nucleus accumbens (NAC; 0.5 microgram/site/day for 10 days) produced a prompt and very pronounced suppression of ethanol preference, without affecting total fluid intake. Bilateral injections of ritanserin (0.5 microgram/site/day for 10 days) into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) or into the medial prefrontal cortex (MPC) evoked only slight and variable reduction of ethanol preference. Injections of ritanserin, 5 micrograms/site/day, into the VTA gave a nonselective suppression of the ingestive behavior. The present results provide evidence for a central site of action for the effect of ritanserin on ethanol intake and suggest that the NAC might be a highly sensitive site for its action. Since the NAC is a major target of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, they also suggest that the effect of ritanserin might be due to interference with this system.
Panocka
I
I
Department of Behavioral Physiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Mrokow.
Ciccocioppo
R
R
Polidori
C
C
Massi
M
M
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D007267:Injections; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016713:Ritanserin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area
D016713:Ritanserin