Assessment of GABAA benzodiazepine receptor (GBzR) sensitivity in patients with alcohol dependence.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to measure GABAA benzodiazepine receptor (GBzR) sensitivity in alcohol-dependent patients and compare with matched non-dependent drinkers.


METHODS
Nine abstinent alcohol-dependent male patients, age matched with nine male non-dependent social drinkers, received an intravenous infusion of midazolam. Objective (saccadic eye movement slowing) and subjective (visual analogue scales) measurements were recorded at 15-min intervals for 2 h.


RESULTS
There were no differences in objective or subjective measures.


CONCLUSIONS
Our hypothesis that patients with alcohol dependence would have less slowing of their eye movements in response to this challenge, reflecting reduced GBzR sensitivity, was not confirmed. The reasons for this could mean that GBzR function returns to normal with abstinence, or that this paradigm is unable to measure the subtle subtype-specific changes in GBzR sensitivity that occur following dependent alcohol use.
Taylor
Claire
C
Psychopharmacology Unit, Dorothy Hodgkin Building, Whitson Street, Bristol BS1 3NY, UK.
Nash
Jon
J
Rich
Ann
A
Lingford-Hughes
Anne
A
Nutt
David
D
Potokar
John
J
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008874:Midazolam / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D012438:Saccades / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013695:Temperance
D058785:GABA-A Receptor Agonists; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D008874:Midazolam