Original articleCorticotropin-Releasing Factor 1 Antagonists Selectively Reduce Ethanol Self-Administration in Ethanol-Dependent Rats
Section snippets
Animals
Fifty-six adult male Wistar rats weighing 180 to 200 grams at the start of the experiment were obtained from Charles River Laboratory (Kingston, New York). Animals were housed two to three per cage with food and water available ad libitum. Lights were on a 12-hour light/dark cycle, lights on at 6:00 am. All procedures met the guidelines of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (National Research Council 1996).
Drugs
Ethanol (10% wt/vol) was prepared
Effects of the CRF1 Specific Antagonist Antalarmin on Ethanol and Water Self-Administration in Dependent and Nondependent Rats
For the antalarmin group (n = 9), animal weights at the end of the experiment were 591.9 ± 53.6 grams for nondependent rats and 580 ± 14.9 grams for dependent rats. The mean blood alcohol level across the entire period of ethanol vapor exposure was 189.8 ± 24.7 mg/dL. Figure 2 shows the effects of antalarmin (0, 10.0, 20.0 mg/kg, IP) on ethanol and water self-administration in dependent versus nondependent animals.
In the 30-minute test session, following vehicle injection (.5%
Discussion
Excessive, uncontrolled drinking and the presence of a withdrawal syndrome following cessation of alcohol intake are two of the diagnostic criteria for dependence in humans (American Psychiatric Association 1994). Further, human alcoholics will report that the negative affect state, especially enhanced anxiety and stress, experienced during withdrawal is the main factor eliciting relapse and binge drinking during periods of abstinence (Hershon 1977). Some of these negative affect symptoms can
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