The experiments replicated previous findings for alcohol/environment conditioned behaviour, and demonstrated, as predicted, that this was decreased by acamprosate but not by naltrexone. Effects of acamprosate on conditioned negative reinforcement may be the cause of this effect, but more work is required to establish the usefulness of this model in evaluation of anti-relapse drugs.
In synaptosomal fractions of rat brain the activities of phospholipase A2 and the phospholipid base-exchange enzymes are highly dependent on external Ca2+ concentrations. Their activity is inhibited by the presence of 50 mM ethanol in vitro. Administration of ethanol to rats by inhalation causes a progressive increase in the activity of these enzymes in synaptosomal preparations at all Ca2+ concentrations studied. The increased activity of these enzymes persists in preparations from rats undergoing a physical syndrome of withdrawal from ethanol. The addition of ethanol in vitro to preparations from animals that had received ethanol in vivo had no significant effect on enzyme activity. The results are discussed in relation to the possible roles of membrane lipid metabolism and synaptic Ca2+ sensitivity in ethanol tolerance and physical dependence.
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