title: Dorsal lesions of the prefrontal cortex: effects on alcohol consumption and subcortical monoaminergic systems.
abstract: Male Wistar rats were subjected to either bilateral aspiration lesions of the dorsal regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) or sham lesions and placed on a 6-week, modified sucrose-fading procedure. At the time of sacrifice, the size of the lesion, both in anterior-posterior and medial-lateral dimensions, was measured. Following sacrifice, levels of dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT), norepinephrine (NE), and their metabolites were measured in the midbrain (raphe) and nucleus accumbens (NA). Lesioned animals had reductions in 5-HT in the NA, and DA and NE in the raphe. The lesioned group drank more of a solution of 5% alcohol than controls early in the sucrose fading, and less during the later stages. In the lesioned group, the size of the left- and right-hemisphere lesions predicted 5-HIAA levels in the NA, and 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels in the raphe. A laterality effect was noted, such that the size of left-hemisphere lesions were positively associated with raphe 5-HT and 5-HIAA levels, and negatively associated with 5-HT levels in the NA, while right-hemisphere lesions showed the opposite relationships. In addition, the width of the left-hemisphere lesion predicted some measures of alcohol intake. These results suggest that, in the rat, the dorsal PFC is involved in the regulation of monoamines in subcortical regions known to be important in the regulation of reinforced behaviors, and that this regulation differs between hemispheres and shows a laterality effect. In addition, the dorsal PFC appears to have a subtle involvement in the regulation of alcohol intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Alcohol Research Center, University of Connecticut Medical School, Farmington 06030, USA. deckel@psychiatry.uchc.edu
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Deckel
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Shoemaker
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arky
mesh_terms: D000588:Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism*; D004326:Drinking; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology
chemical_list: D000588:Amines