Increased behavioral neurosteroid sensitivity in a rat line selectively bred for high alcohol sensitivity

Acute administration of a neurosteroid 5 beta -pregnan-3 alpha -ol-20-one induced a greater impairment in motor performance of the selectively bred alcohol-sensitive (ANT) than alcohol-insensitive (AT) rats. This difference was not associated with the sensitivity of gamma -amino-butyrate type A (GABA(A)) receptors, as 5 alpha -pregnan-3 alpha -ol-20-one (allopregnanolone) decreased the autoradiographic signals of t-butylbicyclophosphoro[S-35]thionate binding to GABA(A) receptor-associated ionophores more in the brain sections of AT than ANT rats. Nor was the difference associated with baseline levels of neuroactive progesterone metabolites, as 5 alpha -pregnan-3,20-dione (5 alpha -DHP) and 5 alpha -pregnan-3 alpha -ol-20-one were lower in the ANT rats. After ethanol (2 g/kg, i.p.) administration and the subsequent motor performance test, the increased brain concentrations of these metabolites were still lower in the ANT than AT rats, although especially in the cerebellum the relative increases were greater in the ANT than AT rats. The present data suggest that the mechanisms mediating neurosteroid-induced motor impairment are susceptible to genetic variation in rat lines selected for differences in ethanol intoxication. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.