Abstract
Background. Although various pharmacological tools
in combating addiction to alcohol are available, their efficacy is
limited. Hence, there is a critical need for development of more
effective medications. Recent advances in the field have identified the
glutamatergic system as a potential novel target for intervention in
addictive behaviors. Purpose. Hence, we evaluated the effects of acute
administration of low (subanesthetic) doses of ketamine, an NMDA
receptor antagonist, on alcohol intake and alcohol preference in both
male and female rats. Study design. Adult alcohol preferring (P) rats
were exposed to two-bottle choice (ethanol 10% and water) for at least
three weeks following a nine-day training period and the effects of
various doses of ketamine (5 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg, and 10 mg/kg, injected
subcutaneously, SC) on consumption of alcohol over various time
periods during a 24 h interval were measured. Results. Our results
indicate that ketamine treatment significantly reduced both alcohol
intake and preference in a time- and dose-dependent manner in both
sexes. Moreover, a differential sensitivity between the sexes was
observed. Thus, although alcohol intake was higher in males, female
rats responded much more strongly to the highest dose of ketamine
than males in the initial time periods. Conclusion. It is concluded
that glutamatergic receptor manipulations may be of therapeutic
potential in addiction to alcohol and that different sexes may respond
differentially to such treatments.
Users
Please
log in to take part in the discussion (add own reviews or comments).