Reduced basal and ethanol stimulation of striatal extracellular dopamine concentrations in dopamine D2 receptor knockout mice.

The present study was undertaken to examine the role of the dopamine (DA) D2 receptor in the ethanol-evoked DA response in the ventral striatum. We performed microdialysis experiments using the D2 null mutant and wild-type controls and measured the effect of an intraperitoneal (i.p.

Effect of operant self-administration of 10% ethanol plus 10% sucrose on dopamine and ethanol concentrations in the nucleus accumbens.

Although operant ethanol self-administration can increase accumbal dopamine activity, the relationship between dopamine and ethanol levels during consumption remains unclear. We trained Long-Evans rats to self-administer escalating concentrations of ethanol (with 10% sucrose) over 7 days, during which two to four lever presses resulted in 20 min of access to the solution with no further response requirements. Accumbal microdialysis was performed in rats self-administering 10% ethanol (plus 10% sucrose) or 10% sucrose alone.