An in vivo profile of beta-endorphin release in the arcuate nucleus and nucleus accumbens following exposure to stress or alcohol.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of distinct categories of stressors on beta-endorphin (beta-EP) release in the arcuate nucleus (ArcN) and nucleus accumbens (NAcb) using in vivo microdialysis. Adult male rats were implanted with a cannula aimed at either the NAcb or the ArcN. On the day of testing, a 2 mm microdialysis probe was inserted into the cannula, and artificial cerebrospinal fluid was infused at 2.0 microl/min. After three baseline collections, animals either had a clothespin applied to the base of their tail for 20 min (a physical/tactile stressor), were exposed to fox urine odour for 20 min (a psychological stressor/species-specific threat), or were administered 2.4 g ethanol/kg body weight, 16.5% w/v, i.p. (a chemical/pharmacological stressor) with control animals receiving an equivalent volume of saline. Both tail-pinch and fox odour significantly increased beta-EP release from the ArcN (P<0.05), whilst only tail-pinch enhanced beta-EP release from the NAcb (P<0.01). On the other hand, alcohol stimulated beta-EP release in the NAcb as compared with saline-treated controls (P<0.01), but not in the ArcN. Although the increase in extracellular beta-EP produced by the other stressors was relatively rapid, there was a 90-min delay before alcohol administration caused beta-EP levels to exceed that of saline-injected controls. In conclusion, the fact that physical and fear-inducing psychological stressors stimulate beta-EP release in the ArcN and only physical stressors stimulate beta-EP release in the NAcb, indicates that stressors with different properties are processed differently in the brain. Also, an injection of alcohol caused a delayed increase of beta-EP in the NAcb but not the ArcN, indicating that alcohol may recruit a mechanism that is, at least partially, distinct from stress-related pathways.