title: The cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist, rimonabant, as a promising pharmacotherapy for alcohol dependence: preclinical evidence.
abstract: Several lines of preclinical evidence indicate the ability of the prototypic cannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist, rimonabant, to suppress various alcohol-related behaviors, including alcohol drinking and seeking behavior and alcohol self-administration in rats and mice. Together, these data-synthetically reviewed in the present paper-suggest (a) the involvement of the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor in the neural substrate controlling alcohol intake, alcohol reinforcement, and the motivational properties of alcohol and (b) that rimonabant may constitute a new and potentially effective medication for the treatment of alcohol dependence.
authors.affiliation: C.N.R. Institute of Neuroscience, Viale Diaz 182, Cagliari (CA), 182 I-09126, Italy. colomb@unica.it
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orrù
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabras
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maccioni
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: Gian Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Gessa
authors.forename: Mauro A M
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Carai
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000188:drug therapy; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011720:Pyrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism; D012008:Recurrence; D000077285:Rimonabant
chemical_list: D010880:Piperidines; D011720:Pyrazoles; D043884:Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D000077285:Rimonabant