Ethanol produces multiple electrophysiological effects on ventral tegmental area neurons in freely moving rats.

ABSTRACT: Although alcohol (i.e., ethanol) is a major drug of abuse, the acute functional effects of ethanol on the reward circuitry are not well defined in vivo. In freely moving rats, we examined the effect of intravenous ethanol administration on neuronal unit activity in the posterior ventral tegmental area (VTA), a central component of the mesolimbic reward system. VTA units were classified as putative dopamine (DA) neurons, fast-firing GABA neurons, and unidentified neurons based on a combination of electrophysiological properties and DA D₂ receptor pharmacological responses. A gradual infusion of ethanol significantly altered the firing rate of DA neurons in a concentration-dependent manner. The majority of DA neurons were stimulated by ethanol and showed enhanced burst firing acti

SUBMITTER: Doyon WM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8260183 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature