Effects of an acute dose of ethanol on dopaminergic and serotonergic systems from rat cerebral cortex and striatum

Intraperitoneal injection 10 min before sacrifice of 1.5 g ethanol/kg weight produced an increase in rat striatal levels of homovanillic acid (HVA) (p < 0.05) but did not affect the striatal concentrations of dopamine (DA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). A similar ethanol treatment led to decreases in 5-HT (p < 0.05) and 5-HIAA (p < 0.05) from cerebral cortex (prefrontal and anterior cingulate areas). The results point to several ethanol-linked alterations in central serotonergic and dopaminergic systems.