title: Increased sensitivity to picrotoxin as an index of physical dependence on alcohol in the mouse.
abstract: A relatively simple and rapid method has been developed to induce tolerance to and dependence on alcohol in mice. Alternating intraperitoneal injections of metabolically stable tert-butanol and ethanol for 4 consecutive days resulted in a physical dependence on alcohol, which was quantified by the latency and ED50 of picrotoxin-induced CNS hyperexcitability--myoclonic and tonic seizures and mortality--during the withdrawal period. The data indicate that alcohol-dependent animals in the withdrawal period are more susceptible than alcohol-naive controls to picrotoxin. Withdrawal hyperexcitability can be quantified by the ED50 of picrotoxin.
mesh_terms: D000430:Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000633:toxicity; D011604:Psychoses, Alcoholic / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D010852:Picrotoxin; D011720:Pyrazoles; C031280:pyrazole