Oral ethanol self-administration in rats is reduced by the administration of dopamine and glutamate receptor antagonists into the nucleus-accumbens

Academic Article
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publication date

  • October 1992

abstract

  • The purpose of this study was to assess the role of endogenous dopamine and glutamate systems within the nucleus accumbens in modulating responses for oral ethanol reinforcements (10% w/v) in a free-choice operant task. Pretreatment with both systemic (100 micrograms/kg) and intra-nucleus accumbens microinjection of fluphenazine (2 and 4 micrograms), a dopamine receptor antagonist, significantly decreased responding for ethanol, without significantly affecting responses for water. Ethanol self-administration was also attenuated by microinjection into the nucleus accumbens of 2-amino-5-phosphopentanoic acid (AP-5, 3 and 6 micrograms), a competitive NMDA receptor antagonist. These results suggest that dopamine and glutamate neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens may regulate ethanol self-administration and its reinforcing effects.