The mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system, originating from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) mediates alcohol rewarding properties.Previous reports showed that rats would learn to self-administer ethanol rather into posterior (p-VTA) than into anterior (a-VTA) VTA.Using cell-attached and whole-cell recordings of spontaneous firing from DA neurons in acute slices of young SD rats, we found that acute exposure to ethanol (5-86 mM)facilitated firing of DA neurons located in p-VTA (5.3-6.2 mm posterior to bregma) while it suppressed those in a-VTA (4.8-5.2 mm posterior to bregma).Furthermore, ethanol suppressing a-VTA DA neuronal firings was associated with an enhancement of GABA release.Meanwhile, ethanol decreasing GABA release was involved in its increasing effects on p-VTA DA neuronal firings.The opposite effects of ethanol on sIPSCs and neuronal firing between the p-VTA and a-VTA could be the neural circle basis for ethanol reinforcement.