Attenuation by antidepressant drugs of alcohol intake in rats

Fluoxetine, Desipramine, and the Dual Antidepressant Milnacipran Reduce Alcohol Self-Administration and/or Relapse in Dependent Rats

“…Activation of the 5-HT system decreases ethanol intake while lower levels of 5-HT have been measured in alcohol-dependent subjects (LeMarquand et al, 1994). A previous study has shown that inhibitors of NE and/or 5-HT uptake decrease alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring rats (Daoust et al, 1984). Hwang et al (2000) reported a downregulation of NE transporter (NET) in the locus coeruleus of alcohol-preferring rats that may be associated with alcohol-seeking behavior.…”

Effect of DOV 102,677 on the Volitional Consumption of Ethanol by Myers’ High Ethanol‐Preferring Rat

“…Agents that modulate serotonergic neurotransmission have been repeatedly demonstrated to decrease voluntary ethanol consumption by normal animals (Daoust et al, 1984;Gill et al, 1988) and in genetic or chemically induced high-drinking rodent models (Ciccocioppo et al, 1997;Myers and Quarfordt, 1991). Moreover, differences in dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission were proposed as responsible for the behavioral manifestations of subtypes of alcoholics (Babor et al, 1992;Cloninger, 1987).…”

Synthesis of 11C‐labelled acamprosate for PET studies

“…Acamprosate appears to be present in all areas of the rat's brain after crossing the blood-brain barrier 9 and there are also reports that it binds on specific sites in the hippocampus. 10 Since positron emission tomography (PET) has made it possible to examine the biodistribution of certain compounds in vivo, this imaging technique might be a powerful instrument for the characterisation of these binding sites in the human brain. In contrast to the techniques used in previous studies (current-and voltage-clamp, microdialysis and NMR) PET offers the unique possibility to study the uptake and binding of the acamprosate molecule itself, the brain regions where it accumulates and the behaviour of acamprosate in normal and alcohol-addicted subjects.…”