Loftén Anna, Ademar Karin, Danielsson Klara, Söderpalm Bo, Adermark Louise, Ericson Mia
Addiction Biology Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Box 410, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Beroendekliniken, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2025 Apr 18. doi: 10.1007/s00702-025-02928-w.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a relapsing brain disorder involving major neurobiological changes. Upon alcohol exposure, dopamine (DA) levels increase in the nucleus accumbens (nAc), a key region of the mesolimbic DA system involved in reward and reinforcement. A concomitant increase in extracellular taurine within the nAc has been shown to be important for the alcohol-induced DA increase. Sex differences in alcohol consumption and in the development of AUD have previously been shown. However, knowledge regarding sex differences in alcohol-induced DA and concomitant taurine release is limited. The aim of this study was to examine potential sex differences in alcohol-induced increases of extracellular levels of DA and taurine within the nAc, following local and systemic alcohol administration. To this end, in vivo microdialysis was performed using male and female Wistar rats. Following systemic alcohol administration, both male and female rats displayed a significant increase of both DA and taurine within the nAc, with no observed sex differences. In contrast, males displayed a significant increase in both DA and taurine following alcohol administration locally into the nAc whilst female rats displayed a blunted DA response and an attenuated taurine increase. Basal levels of DA or taurine did not differ significantly between males and females. The results presented here suggest that local accumbal mechanisms contribute to a greater extent to the alcohol-induced DA increase in male compared to female rats, whilst the response to systemic alcohol administration is similar between sexes.
酒精使用障碍（AUD）是一种复发性脑部疾病，涉及重大的神经生物学变化。接触酒精后，伏隔核（nAc）中的多巴胺（DA）水平会升高，伏隔核是中脑边缘多巴胺系统的一个关键区域，参与奖赏和强化过程。已证明，nAc内细胞外牛磺酸的同时增加对于酒精诱导的DA增加很重要。先前已显示出酒精消费和AUD发展中的性别差异。然而，关于酒精诱导的DA和伴随的牛磺酸释放中的性别差异的知识有限。本研究的目的是在局部和全身给予酒精后，检查酒精诱导的nAc内细胞外DA和牛磺酸水平升高方面的潜在性别差异。为此，使用雄性和雌性Wistar大鼠进行了体内微透析。全身给予酒精后，雄性和雌性大鼠nAc内的DA和牛磺酸均显著增加，未观察到性别差异。相比之下，在向nAc局部给予酒精后，雄性大鼠的DA和牛磺酸均显著增加，而雌性大鼠的DA反应减弱，牛磺酸增加减弱。雄性和雌性大鼠的DA或牛磺酸基础水平无显著差异。此处呈现的结果表明，与雌性大鼠相比，局部伏隔核机制在雄性大鼠中对酒精诱导的DA增加的贡献更大，而两性对全身给予酒精的反应相似。
