Alcohol and Alcoholism · 1993 · 33 citations · 0 references
MedicineNeurosciencePharmacologyNeurochemistryNeuropharmacologyPsychopharmacologyAddictionAddiction NeurobiologyAlcohol PharmacodynamicsAlcohol PharmacologyDopaminergic PharmacologyDopaminergic SignalingAdenylate Cyclase SignalingAdenylyl Cyclase RegulationAdenylyl Cyclase SignalingD1-like Dopamine ReceptorsD2-like Dopamine ReceptorsDopamine D1-like ReceptorsDopamine D2-like ReceptorsDopaminergic System Effects
Dopamine (DA) D1 receptors and the response of adenylyl cyclase (AC) to dopamine stimulation were studied in the limbic areas and the caudate-putamen of Sardinian ethanol-preferring (SP), Sardinian ethanol-non-preferring (SNP) and Wistar unselected (UW) rats. SP rats exhibited a significantly lower number of D1 receptors, measured using [3H]SCH 23390 binding, and a decreased response to DA stimulation than SNP and UW animals. Since SP rats have also a lower number of D2 receptors, the results suggest that an altered dopaminergic transmission may underlie their innate alcohol preference.