The discriminative stimulus properties of ethanol and acute ethanol withdrawal states in rats.
Twelve male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a standard two-choice Drug 1-Drug 2 discrimination task utilizing 3.0 mg/kg chlordiazepoxide (CDP, an anxiolytic drug) and 20 mg/kg pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, an anxiogenic drug) as discriminative stimuli under a VR 5-15 schedule of food reinforcement. Saline tests conducted at specific time points after acute high doses of ethanol (3.0 and 4.0 g/kg) indicated a delayed rebound effect, evidenced by a shift to PTZ-appropriate responding. Insofar as such a shift in lever selection indexes a delayed anxiety-like state, this acute 'withdrawal' reaction can be said to induce an affective state similar to that seen with chronic ethanol withdrawal states. Ethanol generalization tests: (1) resulted in a dose- and time-dependent biphasic generalization to CDP, (2) failed to block the PTZ stimulus and (3) failed to block the time- and dose-dependent elicitation of an ethanol-rebound effect. These data suggest that ethanol's anxiolytic effects are tenuous.
Gauvin
D V
DV
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma City 73190-3000.
Harland
R D
RD
Criado
J R
JR
Michaelis
R C
RC
Holloway
F A
FA
D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000430:Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium / Q000523:psychology*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D003463:Cues; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005793:Generalization, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011604:Psychoses, Alcoholic / Q000523:psychology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D002707:Chlordiazepoxide; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole