CENTRAL EFFECTS OF ACAMPROSATE - PART-1 - ACAMPROSATE BLOCKS THE GLUTAMATE INCREASE IN THE NUCLEUS-ACCUMBENS MICRODIALYSATE IN ETHANOL WITHDRAWN RATS

Citation
A. Dahchour et al., CENTRAL EFFECTS OF ACAMPROSATE - PART-1 - ACAMPROSATE BLOCKS THE GLUTAMATE INCREASE IN THE NUCLEUS-ACCUMBENS MICRODIALYSATE IN ETHANOL WITHDRAWN RATS, PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH-NEUROIMAGING, 82(2), 1998, pp. 107-114
Citations number
55
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry,"Clinical Neurology
ISSN journal
0925-4927
Volume
82
Issue
2
Year of publication
1998
Pages
107 - 114
Database
ISI
SICI code
0925-4927(1998)82:2<107:CEOA-P>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
One of the known behavioral actions of acamprosate is to decrease hype rmotility during alcohol withdrawal. However, the mechanism of this ef fect remains unclear. In this study, the concentrations of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids were assayed by the microdialysis technique with OPA/BME precolumn derivatization and electrochemical detection i n the nucleus accumbens of male Wistar rats which were either alcoholi zed by ethanol inhalation or simultaneously alcoholized and treated or ally by acamprosate (400 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. Without treatment, ex tracellular glutamate increased during the withdrawal phase, while oth er amino acids tested (aspartate, arginine, taurine, alanine and GABA) remained stable. In contrast, the alcoholized rats treated with acamp rosate failed to present the increase in glutamate during ethanol with drawal, while other amino acids tested also remained stable. The obser ved glutamate increase could be responsible for the hyperexcitability observed during episodes of ethanol withdrawal. These results suggest that acamprosate is able to reduce the ethanol withdrawal syndrome by reducing the concentration of glutamate in the nucleus accumbens. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.