Alcohol increases the extracellular concentration of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of rats and alcohol-preferring rats have a larger increase. Alcohol is rewarding and rats will work to self-administer alcohol. Dopamine receptor antagonists will decrease animals responding to self-administer alcohol and they block cue induced-induced alcohol drinking. There is decreased dopaminergic activity during alcohol withdrawal.
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Alcohol Increases Dopamine in the Nucleus Accumbens
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There are sex differences of alcohol effects on dopamine release
Alcohol Induces More Striatal Dopamine Release in Males than Females
11 males and 10 females (mean age 24) who drank about 16 drinks per week had 11C raclopride binding measured by PET in the striatum after drinking placebo and after drinking alcohol (mean peak blood level 100 mg/100 ml). Increased dopamine release in ventral striatum correlated with alcohol induced subjective activation in males but not in females. (Constructed from data in Urban, N.B.L. et al. Biological Psychiatry,68: 689-696, 2010) ©2010 NBEP
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