title: The anti-relapse compound acamprosate inhibits the development of a conditioned place preference to ethanol and cocaine but not morphine.
abstract: The effects of the anti-relapse compound acamprosate (calcium acetylhomotaurinate) on the conditioned rewarding effects of ethanol, cocaine and morphine were studied using the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm. During 3 days of drug conditioning, mice were pretreated with saline or acamprosate (30, 100 or 300 mg kg(-1) i.p.) 10 min prior to the administration of ethanol (2 g kg(-1) i.p.), cocaine (15 mg kg(-1) i.p.) or morphine (10 mg kg(-1) i.p.), and subsequently confined to one of two distinct conditioning chambers. On the following day, mice were tested for the expression of CPP. Acamprosate dose-dependently reduced the development of CPP to ethanol and cocaine but not morphine. When tested as the conditioning drug, acamprosate alone produced neither a conditioned place preference nor aversion. These data suggest that acamprosate can suppress the conditioned rewarding effects of ethanol and certain classes of abused substances.
authors.affiliation: Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, Department of Neurology, University of California at San Francisco, 5858 Horton Street, Emeryville, CA 94608, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McGeehan
authors.forename: M Foster
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Olive
mesh_terms: D000077443:Acamprosate; D000427:Alcohol Deterrents / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003042:Cocaine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009020:Morphine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D013654:Taurine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000427:Alcohol Deterrents; D013654:Taurine; D000431:Ethanol; D009020:Morphine; D003042:Cocaine; D000077443:Acamprosate