Beta-adrenergic antagonists attenuate withdrawal anxiety in cocaine- and morphine-dependent rats.
Rats were treated chronically with either cocaine (20 mg/kg/day, 14 days), morphine (incrementing doses of 10 mg/kg/day to 80 mg/kg, 11 days) or saline. During morphine or cocaine abstinence (48 h), dependent rats showed increased anxiety-like behavior in a conditioned defensive burying paradigm as evidenced by significantly shorter latencies to begin burying as well as a 4-fold increase in burying duration relative to saline-treated animals. This withdrawal-induced increase in burying behavior was blocked by pretreatment with either the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol (5 mg/kg) or the lipophobic selective beta 1-antagonist, atenolol (5 mg/kg). These results are consistent with the possibility that activation of peripheral beta 1 receptors may substantially contribute to withdrawal-induced anxiety and that beta-adrenergic antagonists could be useful in treating in cocaine and morphine dependent addicts.
Harris
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GC
Department of Mental Health Sciences, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Aston-Jones
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G
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D001262:Atenolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003042:Cocaine; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D009021:Morphine Dependence / Q000523:psychology*; D011433:Propranolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D001262:Atenolol; D011433:Propranolol; D003042:Cocaine