title: Prazosin Reduces Alcohol Intake in an Animal Model of Alcohol Relapse.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many alcoholics and heavy drinkers undergo repeated cycles of alcohol abstinence followed by relapse to alcohol drinking; a pattern that contributes to escalated alcohol intake over time. In rodents, alcohol drinking that is interspersed with periods of alcohol deprivation (imposed abstinence) increases alcohol intake during reaccess to alcohol. This is termed the "alcohol deprivation effect" or "ADE" and is a model of alcohol relapse in humans. We have previously reported that prazosin reduces alcohol drinking during both brief and prolonged treatment in rats selectively bred for alcohol preference ("P" rats). This study explores whether prazosin prevents alcohol "relapse" in P rats, as reflected by a reduced or abolished ADE.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult male P rats were given 24-hour access to food and water and scheduled access to alcohol (15 and 30% v/v solutions presented concurrently) for 2 h/d. After 5 weeks, rats underwent imposed alcohol deprivation for 2 weeks, followed by alcohol reaccess for 2 weeks, and this pattern was repeated for a total of 3 cycles. Rats were injected with prazosin (0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0 mg/kg body weight, intraperitoneally) once a day for the first 5 days of each alcohol reaccess cycle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Alcohol intake increased on the first day of each alcohol reaccess cycle, demonstrating the formation of an ADE. The ADE was short-lived, lasting only 1 day, during each of the 3 cycles. Prazosin, in all doses tested, prevented the expression of an ADE in all 3 alcohol reaccess cycles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prazosin decreases alcohol intake in P rats even in a situation that would be expected to increase alcohol drinking, namely following periods of alcohol deprivation. This suggests that prazosin may be effective in reducing alcohol relapse that often occurs during attempts to achieve permanent alcohol abstinence in treatment-seeking alcoholics and heavy drinkers.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Janice C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Froehlich
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hausauer
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine , Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wise
authors.affiliation: VISN 20 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center , VA Puget Sound Health Care System and University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors.forename: Dennis D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
mesh_terms: D064829:Alcohol Abstinence; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D011224:Prazosin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D011224:Prazosin
keywords: Alcohol Deprivation Effect; Alcohol Preferring Rats; Alcohol Relapse; Prazosin