Scientists from the University of Texas found that social drinking activates a specific dopamine receptor D1, which causes euphoria. Research results published In the journal Addiction Biology (AdBio).
Scientists say that drinking alcohol with friends improves the mood of many people. Those who prefer to drink alone, on the contrary, show signs of depression.
The researchers set out to find out what mechanisms underlie these differences. To do this, they conducted an experiment on two groups of fruit flies with normal and artificially elevated dopamine levels, a neurotransmitter produced at the time of receiving a subjectively pleasant experience. The fruit flies were exposed to ethanol vapors alone and with a group of conspecifics.
The results showed that the “drunk” insects in the company showed increased speed and mobility. The increase in activity in the “lone flies” was insignificant.
The team’s final task was to determine which of the five dopamine receptors in the brain contributes most to this process. It turned out that the activity of the D1 receptor increases when alcohol is consumed in a social environment. Scientists stated that the D1 receptor gene in humans affects the tendency to alcohol addiction. According to the researchers, the human brain interprets and processes information about the social environment and sends appropriate signals to the dopamine system, which is also activated when alcohol is consumed.
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Source: Gazeta
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