In vivo voltammetric evidence that locus coeruleus activation predominantly releases norepinephrine in the infralimbic cortex: Effect of acute ethanol.

Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry paired with pharmacology, the authors show that infralimbic catecholamine release following locus coeruleus stimulation is noradrenergic, but not dopaminergic, and not affected by acute ethanol. With previous work, these data suggest differential effects of ethanol on prefrontal norepinephrine and dopamine, a region important in addiction-related pathways.