Dopamine receptors modulate ethanol's locomotor-activating effects in preweanling rats.
Near the end of the second postnatal week motor activity is increased soon after ethanol administration (2.5 g/kg) while sedation-like effects prevail when blood ethanol levels reach peak values. This time course coincides with biphasic reinforcement (appetitive and aversive) effects of ethanol determined at the same age. The present experiments tested the hypothesis that ethanol-induced activity during early development in the rat depends on the dopamine system, which is functional in modulating motor activity early in ontogeny. Experiments 1a and 1b tested ethanol-induced activity (0 or 2.5 g/kg) after a D1-like (SCH23390; 0, .015, .030, or .060 mg/kg) or a D2-like (sulpiride; 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg) receptor antagonist, respectively. Ethanol-induced stimulation was suppressed by SCH23390 or sulpiride. The dopaminergic antagonists had no effect on blood ethanol concentration (Experiments 2a and 2b). In Experiment 3, 2.5 g/kg ethanol increased dopamine concentration in striatal tissue as well as locomotor activity in infant Wistar rats. Adding to our previous results showing a reduction in ethanol induced activity by a GABA B agonist or a nonspecific opioid antagonist, the present experiments implicate both D1-like and D2-like dopamine receptors in ethanol-induced locomotor stimulation during early development. According to these results, the same mechanisms that modulate ethanol-mediated locomotor stimulation in adult rodents seem to regulate this particular ethanol effect in the infant rat.
Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra (INIMEC - CONICET) Córdoba C.P 5000, Argentina.
Carlos
C
Arias
Estela C
EC
Mlewski
Cristian
C
Hansen
Juan Carlos
JC
Molina
Maria Gabriela
MG
Paglini
Norman E
NE
Spear
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001070:Appetitive Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001552:Benzazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000494:pharmacology
D001552:Benzazepines; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D017447:Receptors, Dopamine D1; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C534628:SCH 23390; D000431:Ethanol; D013469:Sulpiride