The role of dopamine in alcohol self-administration in humans: individual differences.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
To clarify dopamine's role in alcohol self-administration in a heterogeneous sample of drinkers using acute phenylalanine/tyrosine depletion (APTD).

METHODS:
Sixteen men with variable drinking histories were characterized on their ethanol-induced cardiac response, a marker previously proposed to index dopamine system reactivity and vulnerability to alcohol abuse. During separate sessions participants were administered (i) a nutritionally balanced (BAL) amino acid (AA) mixture, (ii) a mixture lacking the dopamine precursors, phenylalanine and tyrosine, and (iii) APTD followed by the dopamine precursor, L-DOPA. Five hours after AA administration, participants could earn units of alcohol using a progressive ratio breakpoint task.

RESULTS:
Alcohol self-administration was reduced in the APTD and APTD+L-DOPA conditions relative to the BAL condition. In both cases the changes were predicted by ethanol-induced cardiac change.

CONCLUSIONS:
The motivation to drink is likely regulated by more than one neurobiological mechanism. Individual differences in cardiac responsivity to ethanol might provide a peripheral marker of responsiveness to pharmacological manipulations of dopamine.

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Author information

Author/s: Barrett, Sean P (SP); Pihl, Robert O (RO); Benkelfat, Chawki (C); Brunelle, Caroline (C); Young, Simon N (SN); Leyton, Marco (M);

Affiliation: Psychology Department, McGill University, 1033 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Eur Neuropsychopharmacol), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Jun; vol 18 (issue 6) : pp 439-47

Dates: Created 2008/05/02; Completed 2008/08/13;

PMID: 18367384, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Alcohol Drinking - metabolism; psychology
Amino Acids - administration & dosage
Analysis of Variance
Dopamine - metabolism
Dopamine Agents - administration & dosage
Double-Blind Method
Ethanol - administration & dosage

Heart Rate - drug effects
Humans
Individuality
Levodopa - administration & dosage
Male
Phenylalanine - deficiency
Self Administration
Tyrosine - deficiency

Associated Chemicals: Amino Acids (0) ; Dopamine Agents (0) ; Levodopa (0) ; Dopamine (51-61-6) ; Tyrosine (55520-40-6) ; Phenylalanine (63-91-2) ; Ethanol (64-17-5)

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