Abstract
Mice were made alcoholic on an alcohol liquid diet. The rate of serotonin synthesis in the brains of chronically alcoholic mice was found to be almost half that of the control group. However, the effect of acute alcoholism demonstrated a tendency to increase the rate of serotonin synthesis. Brain levels of 5HIAA were decreased during chronic alcohol ingestion, however, the brain levels of serotonin in alcoholic mice were similar to those in the untreated mice. These data suggest that serotonergic units in the central nervous system are inhibited during chronic alcoholism.
