Pharmacology of ethanol

Pohorecky, Larissa A.; Brick, John

doi:10.1016/0163-7258(88)90109-x

Cited by 157 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 626 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…GABA A receptor agonists increase both the speed of acquisition of alcohol drinking behavior (Petry, 1997;Smith et al, 1992) and the volume of alcohol consumed (Boyle et al, 1993;Pohorecky and Brick, 1988). Consistent with these findings, GABAergic inverse agonists diminish the reinforcing effects of alcohol .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

GABRA2 Alleles Moderate the Subjective Effects of Alcohol, Which are Attenuated by Finasteride

Pierucci‐Lagha

Covault

Feinn

et al. 2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

133

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

GABA A receptors are involved in the subjective effects of alcohol. Endogenous neuroactive steroids interact with GABA A receptors to mediate several behavioral effects of alcohol in rodents. Based on a haplotypic association of alcohol dependence with the gene encoding the GABA A receptor a-2 subunit (GABRA2), we examined whether GABRA2 alleles are associated with the subjective response to alcohol. We also examined whether finasteride (a 5-a steroid reductase inhibitor), which blocks the synthesis of some neuroactive steroids, reduces the subjective response to alcohol. In all, 27 healthy social drinkers (15 males) completed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of high-dose finasteride. After being pretreated with study drug, subjects consumed three alcoholic drinks. Subjective effects were measured repeatedly over the ascending blood alcohol curve. To examine the moderating role of genetic variation in GABRA2, a single-nucleotide polymorphism that was informative in association studies was included as a factor in the analysis. Subjects homozygous for the more common A-allele (n ¼ 7) showed more subjective effects of alcohol than did individuals with one or two copies of the alcohol dependence-associated G-allele (n ¼ 20, including two homozygotes). Among the A-allele homozygotes, there was a greater reduction in several subjective effects during the finasteride session compared to the placebo session. These findings provide preliminary evidence that the risk of alcoholism associated with GABRA2 alleles may be related to differences in the subjective response to alcohol. The effects of finasteride provide indirect evidence for a mediating role of neuroactive steroids in some of the subjective effects of alcohol.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

GABRA2 Alleles Moderate the Subjective Effects of Alcohol, Which are Attenuated by Finasteride

Pierucci‐Lagha

Covault

Feinn

et al. 2005

Neuropsychopharmacol

133

109

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, acute administration of ethanol modulates the synthesis, turnover, and release of central NE (Corrodi et al, 1966;Carlsson and Lindqvist, 1973;Hunt and Majchrowicz, 1974;Pohorecky and Jaffe, 1975;Karoum et al, 1976), and the activity of noradrenergic neurons (Aston- Jones et al, 1982;Pohorecky and Brick, 1988;Verbanck et al, 1990). Moreover, ethanol has a greater effect on NE turnover and release than on DA (Corrodi et al, 1966;Hunt and Majchrowicz, 1974).…”

Section: Ne and Ethanol Samentioning

confidence: 99%

There and Back Again: A Tale of Norepinephrine and Drug Addiction

Weinshenker

Schroeder

2006

Neuropsychopharmacol

319

277

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fueled by anatomical, electrophysiological, and pharmacological analyses of endogenous brain reward systems, norepinephrine (NE) was identified as a key mediator of both natural and drug-induced reward in the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, reward experiments from the mid-1970s that could distinguish between the noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems resulted in the prevailing view that dopamine (DA) was the primary 'reward transmitter' (a belief holding some sway still today), thereby pushing NE into the background. Most damaging to the NE hypothesis of reward were studies demonstrating that NE receptor antagonists and NE reuptake inhibitors failed to impact drug self-administration. In recent years new tools, such as genetically engineered mice, and new experimental paradigms, such as reinstatement of drug seeking following withdrawal, have propelled NE back into the awareness of addiction researchers. Of particular interest is disulfiram, an inhibitor of the NE biosynthetic enzyme dopamine b-hydroxylase, which has demonstrated promising efficacy in the treatment of cocaine dependence in preliminary clinical trials. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the new data linking NE to critical aspects of DA signaling and drug addiction, with a focus on psychostimulants (eg, cocaine), opiates (eg, morphine), and alcohol.

show abstract

“…In their discussion of the neuropsychology of alcoholism, Tarter and Edwards (1985, p. 220) concluded that' 'the investigations conducted to date do not reveal a disturbance in basic perceptual processes." Similar conclusions have been offered in discussions of alcohol and central nervous system function (e.g., Mitchell, 1985), pharmacology (e.g., Pohorecky & Brick, 1988;Ritchie, 1985), neuropathology (e.g., Freund, 1985), and brain biochemistry (e.g., Hoffman & Tabakoff, 1985). These reviews leave little reason to expect peripheral (precortical) visual processing to be impaired by moderate doses of alcohol.…”

mentioning

confidence: 68%

Alcohol impairs visual presence/absence detection more for females than for males

Avant

1990

Perception & Psychophysics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ninety subjects (45 males, 45 females) were given 0.0, 0.5, or 1.0 ml/kg body weight of 190-proofethanol and tested for chance-level presence/absence detection thresholds with energy-masked presentations of traffic signs and blank inputs. Alcohol produced higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels, and higher detection threshold durations, for females than for males. These results indicate that alcohol influences precortical visual processing and that the influence is greater for females than for males. The higher bioavailability of alcohol in women is likely due to less gastric oxidation of ethanol in women than in men. Hills (1980) estimated that over 90% of the information input to the driver of an automobile is visual. The importance of understanding the effects of alcohol on vision should not be underestimated; however, the literature presents conflicting claims about the influence of alcohol on vision. Between 1940 and1984, at least eight literature reviews indicated that perception was minimally affected by alcohol (Carpenter, 1961;Grant, 1970;Jellinek & McFarland, 1940;Jones & Joscelyn, 1978;Marshall, 1941;Moskowitz, 1974;Voas, 1984;Wallgren & Barry, 1970). In their discussion of the neuropsychology of alcoholism, Tarter and Edwards (1985, p. 220) concluded that' 'the investigations conducted to date do not reveal a disturbance in basic perceptual processes." Similar conclusions have been offered in discussions of alcohol and central nervous system function (e.g., Mitchell, 1985), pharmacology (e.g., Pohorecky & Brick, 1988;Ritchie, 1985), neuropathology (e.g., Freund, 1985), and brain biochemistry (e.g., Hoffman & Tabakoff, 1985). These reviews leave little reason to expect peripheral (precortical) visual processing to be impaired by moderate doses of alcohol. Other studies suggest, however, that it may be premature to consider even retinal processes immune to the effects of alcohol. For example, alcohol has been reported to influence the action of certain neurotransmitters (e.g., Carmichael & Isreal, 1975;Kalant & Grose, 1967), the b-wave and c-wave of the electroretinogram (e.g., Ikeda, 1963;Skoog, 1974) 2851988), and recovery from the effects of glare and contrast sensitivity (e.g., Adams, 1978;Adams, Brown, & Flom, 1976).The visual masking procedure has not been used to examine the effects of alcohol on vision. Turvey (1973) has shown, however, that the procedure can distinguish between peripheral (precortical) and central (cortical) processing. To obtain masking in the peripheral visual system, the mask must be of greater energy than the target item, and the mask and target must be presented to the same eye. Such masking can function in both a forward and a backward direction. Central pattern masking can be obtained whether the target and mask inputs are to the same or to different eyes. It is governed by stimulus onset asynchrony between target and mask rather than by the energy relationship between the two. It functions primarily in a backward manner, and it requires some pattern similarity...

show abstract

Pharmacology of ethanol

Cited by 157 publications

References 626 publications

GABRA2 Alleles Moderate the Subjective Effects of Alcohol, Which are Attenuated by Finasteride

GABRA2 Alleles Moderate the Subjective Effects of Alcohol, Which are Attenuated by Finasteride

There and Back Again: A Tale of Norepinephrine and Drug Addiction

Alcohol impairs visual presence/absence detection more for females than for males

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About