Estrogen Receptor α Regulates Ethanol Excitation of Ventral Tegmental Area Neurons and Binge Drinking in Female Mice.

Elevations in estrogen (17β-estradiol, E2) are associated with increased alcohol drinking by women and experimentally in rodents. E2 alters the activity of the dopamine system, including the VTA and its projection targets, which plays an important role in binge drinking. A previous study demonstrated that, during high E2 states, VTA neurons in female mice are more sensitive to ethanol excitation.

Estradiol enhances ethanol reward in female mice through activation of ERα and ERβ.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) manifests differently in men and women, but little is known about sex differences in the brain's response to ethanol. It is known that the steroid hormone 17β-estradiol (E2) regulates voluntary ethanol consumption in female rodents. However, the role of E2 as a regulator of ethanol reward has not been investigated.

Studying Sex Differences in Animal Models of Addiction: An Emphasis on Alcohol-Related Behaviors.

Animal models are essential for understanding the biological factors that contribute to drug and alcohol addiction and discovering new pharmacotherapies to treat these disorders. Alcohol (ethanol) is the most commonly abused drug in the world, and as the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) increases, so does the need for effective pharmacotherapies. In particular, treatments with high efficacy in the growing number of female AUD sufferers are needed.

Ovarian Hormones Contribute to High Levels of Binge-Like Drinking by Female Mice.

Background: Recently, the incidence of binge drinking by women has increased. Binge drinking is detrimental to women's health, yet the biological mechanisms that promote excessive drinking by women are not well understood. One method of assessing binge-like ethanol (EtOH) consumption in mice is the drinking in the dark (DID) test, in which mice drink sufficient EtOH to achieve intoxication.

Sex differences in cocaine conditioned place preference in C57BL/6J mice.

Men and women respond differently to the subjective effects of cocaine and cocaine-associated cues, which has implications for the development and maintenance of cocaine addiction. Preclinical studies performed in rats, modeling various aspects of cocaine addiction, have largely validated these results, indicating that female rats may be more sensitive to the rewarding properties of cocaine. The molecular mechanisms leading to sex differences in cocaine reward have largely not been determined, although sex hormones are thought to play a role.