Changes in local cerebral glucose utilization in the awake rat during acute and chronic administration of ethanol

Local cerebral glucose utilization (LCGU) was measured in 51 structures of the rat brain after acute and/or chronic oral administration of ethanol using the quantitative autoradiographic 2-deoxyglucose method. In the acute experiments, ethanol (3.2 g/kg) was administered via a gastric tube 110 min before the 2-deoxy-D-[1-14C]glucose. The chronic pretreatment was performed using increasing concentrations of ethanol in the drinking water for a period of 20-24 days. The most striking effects on LCGU were seen in the inferior colliculus. Acute and acute plus chronic treatment with ethanol significantly decreased LCGU by 33% and 37%, respectively, whereas chronic treatment significantly increased LCGU by 25%. In general, acute administration of ethanol decreased LCGU in 16 brain structures, particularly of the auditory system. Chronic treatment, besides its effect on the inferior colliculus, only decreased LCGU in the internal capsule. Chronic plus acute administration of ethanol decreased LCGU significantly in 22 structures. It is concluded that an acute oral administration of ethanol has distinct and mainly depressive effects on the functional activity of several brain areas. Chronic administration is less effective.