Jr. Criado et al., ETHANOL INHIBITS SINGLE-UNIT RESPONSES IN THE NUCLEUS-ACCUMBENS EVOKED BY STIMULATION OF THE BASOLATERAL NUCLEUS OF THE AMYGDALA, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 21(2), 1997, pp. 368-374
We studied the actions of intoxicating doses of ethanol on excitatory
inputs from the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala, a major afferent
system projecting to the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). In view of the hypo
thesized role of opioid receptors on the effects of ethanol on NAcc ph
ysiology, we also explored whether naloxone modulates ethanol-induced
suppression of NAcc excitability in halothane anesthetized and freely
moving unanesthetized rats. Intraperitoneal administration of ethanol
(1.2-1.4 g/kg) markedly suppressed a subgroup of amygdala-activated NA
cc neurons. The ethanol-induced reduction in amygdala-activated NAco n
eurons was not reversed by naloxone (5.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Mo
reover, naloxone had no effect on the supressive effects of ethanol on
NAcc spontaneous activity in either halothane-anesthetized or unanest
hetized freely moving preparations. These findings suggest that opiate
mechanisms either are not participating or are not solely responsible
for the inhibitory effects of acute intoxicating doses of ethanol on
NAcc physiology.