Ethanol induces taurine release in the amygdala: an in vivo microdialysis study

Quertemont, E.;Dahchour, A.;Ward, Roberta J.;De Witte, Philippe
(1999) Addiction Biology — Vol. 4, n° 1, p. 47-54 (1999)

Files

No attached file found for this publication.

Details

Authors
  • Quertemont, E.
    Author
  • Dahchour, A.
    Author
  • Ward, Roberta J.UCLouvain
    Author
  • De Witte, PhilippeUCLouvain
    Author
Abstract
The effect of acute IP ethanol injections an the extracellular aspartate, glutamate, taurine and GABA content of the basolateral amygdala microdialysate was investigated in relationship with total brain ethanol. Each acute intraperitoneal injection of ethanol, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg body weight, induced an immediate increase in microdialysate taurine; both 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg ethanol evoked an increase during the first 20 minutes following injection which returned to baseline value by 40 minutes, despite the fact that ethanol was detectable in the brain until 60 or 120 minutes, respectively. After either 2.0 or 3.0 g/kg ethanol there was an increase in taurine of gradual intensity which gradually declined to reach baseline values by 100 minutes. In contrast, the ethanol concentration for 2.0 g/kg remained elevated at the end of the 120 minutes; approximately 25 mg ethanol/mg protein. The stimulated release of taurine within the amygdala could participate in the regulation of ethanol-induced changes in osmolarity, since taurine is postulated to act as an osmoregulator in the brain. Taurine could also mediate or interact with ethanol-induced central nervous system effects, as it exerts a modulatory action on cell excitability and neurotransmitter processes.
Affiliations

Citations

Quertemont, E., Dahchour, A., Ward, R. J., & De Witte, P. (1999). Ethanol induces taurine release in the amygdala: an in vivo microdialysis study. Addiction Biology, 4(1), 47-54. https://doi.org/10.1080/13556219971830 (Original work published 1999)