Abstract:Chronic alcohol consumption affects various neurotransmitters, especially those implicated in the transitioning to alcohol use disorders (particularly dopaminergic and CRFergic systems). Few studies have investigated moderate alcohol consumption and its harmful consequences. The objective of this work was to analyze behavioral and neurochemical (dopaminergic and CRFergic systems) alterations during chronic moderate alcohol consumption. Twelve male Wistar rats were submitted to an intermittent alcohol ingestion… Show more
DAT-HET rats with their underlying hyperdopaminergia are a promising model for the investigation of neuropsychiatric diseases, which are based on impaired dopamine neurotransmission, including alcoholism. The aim of the work was to evaluate the effect of free alcoholization on drinking, locomotor, exploratory behavior, anxiety, and Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) levels in rats with impaired functioning of the DA system (DAT-HET). The study was carried out on adult male rats of the DAT-HET (n = 15) and Wistar (n = 13), which were divided into 4 groups: “DAT-HET ethanol” (n = 10) and “Wistar ethanol” (n = 9), who were in the mode of free alcoholization for 112 days of the experiment. The DAT-HET water (n = 5) and Wistar water (n = 4) groups did not have access to an ethanol solution and did not participate in behavioral tests. Ethanol preference and consumption was assessed in the “Two-bottle test”. The amount of ethanol consumed in the cells was recorded weekly. Behavior was assessed using the Open Field and Elevated Plus Maze tests. After alcoholization, to assess the level of TH, an immunohistochemical (IHC). It was found that during free alcoholization, DAT-HET rats do not form preferences for ethanol. Under the low ethanol consumption, the initial hyperactivity in DAT-HET rats is leveled. The DAT-HET model leads to an increase in TH levels in NAcc. In addition, the free alcoholization reduces the level of TG in NAcc with the development of a pathological increase in TH, observed in the DAT-HET model, but has no effect on healthy animals.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.