Convulsive and non-convulsive ethanol withdrawal behaviour in rats with lesions of the noradrenergic locus coeruleus system.
The ascending noradrenergic pathways from the locus coeruleus were lesioned bilaterally in 10 rats by intracerebral 6-hydroxydopamine injections. Ten rats were sham-operated. All animals were subjected to a 4-day ethanol intoxication period using intragastric intubation. Intoxication and withdrawal assessments were performed blindly. The 6-hydroxydopamine lesions did not appear to affect tolerance to ethanol. During withdrawal, however, lesioned animals showed minor, but statistically significant changes in scores of certain non-convulsive withdrawal signs, but incidence and intensity of spontaneous and audiogenic convulsive seizures were not different between the groups.
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*
D000431:Ethanol