Burnett E J, Davenport A T, Grant K A, Friedman D P
Neuroscience Program, Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Front Psychiatry. 2012 Apr 26;3:38. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2012.00038. eCollection 2012.
Evidence for an interaction between alcohol consumption and the serotonin system has been observed repeatedly in both humans and animal models yet the specific relationship between the two remains unclear. Research has focused primarily on the serotonin transporter (SERT) due in part to its role in regulating extracellular levels of serotonin. The hippocampal formation is heavily innervated by ascending serotonin fibers and is a major component of the neurocircuitry involved in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. The current study investigated the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on hippocampal SERT in a layer and field specific manner using a monkey model of human alcohol consumption. [(3)H]Citalopram was used to measure hippocampal SERT density in male cynomolgus macaques that voluntarily self-administered ethanol for 18 months. Hippocampal [(3)H]citalopram binding was less dense in ethanol drinkers than in controls, with the greatest effect observed in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. SERT density was not correlated with measures of ethanol consumption or blood ethanol concentrations, suggesting the possibility that a threshold level of consumption had been met. The lower hippocampal SERT density observed suggests that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with altered serotonergic modulation of hippocampal neurotransmission.
酒精消费与血清素系统之间相互作用的证据在人类和动物模型中都反复被观察到，但两者之间的具体关系仍不清楚。研究主要集中在血清素转运体（SERT）上，部分原因是它在调节细胞外血清素水平方面的作用。海马结构由上升的血清素纤维大量支配，是参与介导酒精强化作用的神经回路的主要组成部分。本研究使用人类酒精消费的猴子模型，以层和场特异性方式研究了慢性乙醇自我给药对海马SERT的影响。使用[（3）H]西酞普兰测量自愿自我给药乙醇18个月的雄性食蟹猴海马SERT密度。与对照组相比，饮酒者海马[（3）H]西酞普兰结合密度较低，在齿状回分子层观察到的影响最大。SERT密度与乙醇消费量或血液乙醇浓度的测量值无关，这表明可能已经达到了消费阈值水平。观察到的较低海马SERT密度表明，慢性乙醇消费与海马神经传递的血清素能调节改变有关。
