Up-regulation of cortical AMPA receptor binding in the Fawn-Hooded rat following ethanol withdrawal

Abstract

The present study has employed quantitative receptor autoradiography to compare the binding of (S)-[3H]5-fluorowillardiine to (S)-α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors in the brains of alcohol-preferring Fawn-Hooded (FH) rats, alcohol non-preferring Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, and FH rats following a 28-day period of 5% ethanol consumption with or without ethanol withdrawal. Significantly higher binding of [3H]5-fluorowillardiine was found in the cingulate cortex (+12%) and claustrum (+13%) in alcohol naive FH rats compared to WKY rats. Chronic ethanol consumption decreased binding of (S)-[3H]5-fluorowillardiine in four cortical regions (frontal, parietal, occipital ..