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Antidepressants Block Depressive‐Like Behavior Following Alcohol Withdrawal In Rats: Implication For Relapse
Author(s) -
Getachew Bruk,
Hauser Sheketha R,
Taylor Robert E,
Tizabi Yousef
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a413-b
Subject(s) - nomifensine , imipramine , alcohol , reuptake , ethanol , medicine , antidepressant , alcohol dependence , endocrinology , pharmacology , psychology , anesthesia , dopamine , chemistry , serotonin , receptor , hippocampus , biochemistry , alternative medicine , dopaminergic , organic chemistry , pathology
Particularly high complaint of depression during alcohol withdrawal (AW) is thought to increase alcohol relapse risk. Previously, we have shown that withdrawal from 7 and 14 days of alcohol exposure results in depressive‐like behavior in Wistar rats and exacerbates the existing depressive‐like characteristics in Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats. In this study we sought to determine whether daily treatment with antidepressants during alcohol exposure can block the manifestation of depressive‐like behavior following AW. Adult female WKY and their progenitor control, Wistar rats, were exposed for 3 hrs daily for 10 days ethanol via inhalation chambers followed by i.p injections of 10 mg/kg imipramine or nomifensine, selective norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake blockers, respectively. Mean blood alcohol levels (BALs) were maintained at approximately 150 mg/dL in both strains. On day 11 the animals were tested in a locomotor activity (LCA) monitoring cage for 10 min followed by assessment of their performance in Porsolt forced swim test (FST) for 5min. Neither imipramine nor nomifensine had any effect on LCA in Wistar rats. Imipramine reduced LCA in WKY rats only. Both imipramine and nomifensine blocked the exaggerated immobility in FST, reflective of the depressive characteristic, in both strains following AW. These data suggest that pretreatment with antidepressants may enhance treatment outcome for alcoholics by preventing depressive‐like behavior following alcohol withdrawal. Supported by: NIAAA P20 ( AA014643 ) and NIH/NIMH (2SO6 GM08016‐36)