Does retigabine affect the development of alcohol dependence?--A pharmaco-EEG study.
Neurosci Lett
; 611: 6-13, 2016 Jan 12.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-26598024
ABSTRACT
New antiepileptic drugs have been investigated for their potential role in the treatment of alcohol dependence. One of these drugs is retigabine and this study examines the effect of retigabine co-administered with ethanol on the development of alcohol dependence and the course of acute withdrawal syndrome. A pharmaco-EEG method was used to examine this impact in selected brain structures of rabbits (midbrain reticular formation, hippocampus and frontal cortex). Retigabine was administered p.o. at a dose of 5mg/kg/day with ethanol ad libitum for 6 weeks and then alone for 2 weeks during an abstinence period. Changes in bioelectric activity, which demonstrated the inhibitory effect of alcohol on the brain structures, were already visible after 2 weeks of ethanol administration. In the abstinence period, changes were of a different nature and significant neuronal hyperactivity was observed, particularly in the midbrain reticular formation and the hippocampus. This findings reveal that retigabine decreased ethanol-induced changes during both alcohol administration and abstinence periods. In particular, the modulatory effect of retigabine on the hippocampus may be a significant element of its mechanism of action in alcohol dependence therapy.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Alcoholism
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
Neurosci Lett
Year:
2016
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Poland