Effect of chronic ethanol treatment on dopamine receptor subtypes in rat striatum

Abstract

Chronic exposure to ethanol (6% in the drinking water, 25 days) reduces the responsiveness of both the dopamine-stimulated and of the dopamine-inhibited adenylate cyclase in rat striatum. The changes in the adenylate cyclase activity are paralleled by alterations in dopamine recognition sites, in fact binding studies using selective ligands indicate that the number of both D1- and D2-receptors is reduced in striatal membranes of treated rats.