Abstract
We compared μ- and δ-opioid receptor distributions between the brains of alcohol-preferring Alko, Alcohol (AA) and alcohol-avoiding Alko, Non-Alcohol (ANA) rat lines, using autoradiography on brain sections with μ- and δ-opioid receptor antagonist ligands [ 3H]CTOP and [ 3H]naltrindole, respectively. The labeling patterns of the ligands were consistent with the known opioid receptor distributions in both rat lines and no major genetic differences were found between the lines. However, the binding density of μ- and δ-opioid receptors differed slightly in several brain areas: in the AA brain sections, limbic areas, such as hippocampus and amygdala, showed decreased μ- and δ-opioid receptor binding, whereas the striatal patches were larger and the substantia nigra showed higher binding density of the μ-receptors compared to the ANA sections. The small differences observed between the rat lines could be due to adaptations to altered endogenous opioid peptide levels or neural circuits, and associated with the differences in alcohol drinking or other behaviors.
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