Sensitivity to the initial rewarding effects of alcohol: Influence of age, sex, and β-endorphin.

Background: Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are widespread, devastating and complex. About 20% of people who consume alcohol develop problem use, accounting for over 5% of worldwide deaths. While numerous animal models have facilitated understanding of the consequences of excessive drinking, translational models allow for experimental manipulation of factors thought to contribute to AUD liability.

β-Endorphin and sex differentially modulate the response to EtOH in a site-specific manner.

The effects of alcohol are multifaceted, involving brain circuits regulating reward, motivation, and stress, frequently via the endogenous opioid, beta-endorphin (β-E). It is currently unknown how alcohol affects neural circuit activation in females and how β-E affects ethanol's ability to induce neuronal activation. Therefore, we investigated the impact of acute alcohol treatment on neuronal activation in reward- and stress-related brain circuitry in a sex- and β-E dependent manner.