RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prolonged Increase in the Sensitivity of the Posterior Ventral Tegmental Area to the Reinforcing Effects of Ethanol following Repeated Exposure to Cycles of Ethanol Access and Deprivation
JF Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
JO J Pharmacol Exp Ther
FD American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
SP 648
OP 657
DO 10.1124/jpet.105.084350
VO 315
IS 2
A1 Zachary A. Rodd
A1 Richard L. Bell
A1 Victoria K. McQueen
A1 Michelle R. Davids
A1 Cathleen C. Hsu
A1 James M. Murphy
A1 Ting-Kai Li
A1 Lawrence Lumeng
A1 William J. McBride
YR 2005
UL http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/315/2/648.abstract
AB The posterior ventral tegmental area (VTA) is a neuroanatomical substrate mediating the reinforcing effects of ethanol in rats. Repeated alcohol deprivations produce robust ethanol intakes of alcohol-preferring (P) rats during relapse and increase the reinforcing effects of oral alcohol self-administration. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that alcohol drinking and repeated alcohol deprivations will increase the reinforcing effects of ethanol within the posterior VTA of P rats. Groups of female P rats were used (alcohol-naive, continuous access, and repeatedly deprived). Each rat was implanted with a guide cannula aimed at the posterior VTA. Depression of the active lever produced the infusion of 100 nl of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or ethanol (25-300 mg%). Each rat was given only one ethanol concentration during the 4-h sessions conducted every other day. Compared with the infusions of artificial CSF, the alcohol-naive group reliably self-infused 75 and 150 mg% ethanol, but not the lower or higher concentrations. On the other hand, the continuous access group had significantly higher self-infusions of 50, 75, 150, and 300 mg% ethanol compared with artificial CSF infusions. The repeatedly deprived group also self-infused significantly more of 50, 75, 150, and 300 mg% ethanol than artificial CSF; moreover, the number of infusions for all four concentrations was higher in the repeatedly deprived versus the continuous access group. Chronic alcohol drinking by P rats increased the reinforcing effects of ethanol within the posterior VTA, and repeated alcohol deprivations produced a further increase in these reinforcing effects of ethanol. The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics