Schedule-induced alcohol drinking: non-selective effects of acamprosate and naltrexone.

Full Abstract

Acamprosate and naltrexone are therapeutically effective drugs that promote abstinence and prevent drinking relapse among alcohol-dependent patients, and dose-dependently decrease alcohol self-administration in animals. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the behavioral specificity of acamprosate and naltrexone treatment in mice on alcohol drinking elicited in a schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) task. Food-deprived male C57BL/6J (B6) mice were divided into three groups assigned to a 5% alcohol SIP, water SIP, or a 1-hour limited access regulatory water drinking task. Injections (intraperitoneal) of acute (0, 50, 100, 200, 400 mg/kg) and chronic (2 x 100 mg/kg, 10 days) acamprosate, or naltrexone (0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/kg) were administered. Behavioral drug specificity was determined by comparing alterations in alcohol or water consumption in SIP with alterations in limited access drinking. Additionally, drug effects on drinking-specific measures (g/kg consumption and lick efficiency) were compared with those of non-drinking measures (head entries for food and locomotor activity) during SIP. In comparison with saline injections, acute acamprosate (400 mg/kg) reduced both alcohol and water drinking in both SIP and the regulatory drinking conditions, but had no significant effects on non-drinking measures. Chronic administration of acamprosate reduced both alcohol and water drinking during SIP, but did not significantly affect regulatory drinking or non-drinking measures. Naltrexone (1.0, 2.5, 5.0 mg/kg) reduced alcohol and water drinking in both paradigms, and at the highest dose, significantly reduced head entries for food. These results indicate that acamprosate (acute and chronic) and naltrexone are relatively non-selective in their effects on alcohol self-administration in this task.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Escher, Tobie (T); Mittleman, Guy (G);

Affiliation: Molecular and Integrative Neurosciences Department, The Scripps Research Institute, CA 92037, USA. tescher(-atsign-)scripps.edu

Grants: 1 U01AA13506 (Agency:NIAAA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Addiction biology (Addict Biol), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Mar; vol 11 (issue 1) : pp 55-63

Dates: Created 2006/06/08; Completed 2006/11/09; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 16759337, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Alcohol Deterrents - pharmacology
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcoholism - psychology
Animals
Appetitive Behavior - drug effects
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drinking - drug effects
Hunger - drug effects

Injections, Intraperitoneal
Male
Mice
Mice, Inbred Strains
Naltrexone - pharmacology
Reinforcement Schedule
Taurine - analogs & derivatives; pharmacology
Thirst - drug effects

Associated Chemicals: Alcohol Deterrents (0) ; Taurine (107-35-7) ; Naltrexone (16590-41-3) ; acamprosate (77337-76-9)

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.