[Self-stimulation characteristics and endogenous ethanol in rats of different sexes]

It has been shown in experiments on rats that in females, the threshold of self-stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus was 1.5-2 times higher than in males. Besides, the rate of self-stimulation with subthreshold currents was 57% higher in the estrus than in the diestrus. Measurement of the blood level of endogenous ethanol and animals' mass on daily self-stimulation for 8-10 weeks permitted making correlations with analogous parameters in rats of both sexes preferring ethanol to water for a long time. In both cases, the levels of endogenous ethanol, which were higher in females than in males, were lower than in intact animals. In addition, there was an increase in the body weight (only in males). The latter circumstance evidences a greater damaging action of prolonged self-stimulation on the females' body.