Effects of age and ethanol on dopamine and serotonin release in the rat nucleus accumbens.
Neural functions in the nucleus accumbens (ACC) play an important role in alcohol drinking behavior. In the present study, we observed the effects of age and ethanol (EtOH) on dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) release in the ACC of freely moving 4-, 10-, and 16-month-old rats using brain microdialysis techniques. After co-perfusion with 200 mM ethanol, ACC DA, and 5-HT release were decreased significantly in 16-month-old rats compared to those at 4 months old. ACC DA and 5-HT neurons of aged rats were less sensitive to ethanol. On the other hand, both basal extracellular DA and 5-HT release in the ACC were significantly higher in 16-month-old than in 4-month-old rats. Therefore, aging results in opposite changes in basal and alcohol-induced DA and 5-HT release in the ACC.
Yoshimoto
K
K
Department of Legal Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan.
Yoshida
T
T
Sorimachi
Y
Y
Hirano
A
A
Takeuchi
Y
Y
Ueda
S
S
Yasuhara
M
M
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017551:Microdialysis; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D012701:Serotonin; D000431:Ethanol