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Updated: Aug 1, 2026
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Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
Central nervous system mechanisms in alcohol relapse
W J McBride1, A-D Le, A Noronha
1Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-4887, USA. wmcbride@iupui.edu
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|April 20, 2002
Summary
Understanding alcohol relapse is key to treating alcoholism. Rodent models show that genetics, stress, and environmental cues influence relapse, with long-term brain changes potentially underlying it.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Addiction Research
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Alcohol relapse is a significant challenge in treating alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
- Identifying long-term neuronal alterations is crucial for developing effective pharmacotherapies.
- This workshop focused on rodent models to explore behavioral and neurobiological factors in alcohol relapse.
Framework:
- The alcohol deprivation effect (ADE) in rodents serves as a model for alcohol relapse.
- Studies utilized operant techniques and environmental cues to assess alcohol-seeking behavior.
- Neurobiological changes were examined using microdialysis and [14C]-2-deoxyglucose methods.
Implementation:
- Prolonged ethanol drinking and deprivation induced ADE in both stock and selectively bred rats.
- Acamprosate and naltrexone demonstrated efficacy in reducing ADE in stock rats.
- Stress and environmental cues reinstated alcohol-seeking behavior, highlighting their role in relapse.
Implications:
- The ADE model in rodents shows validity, supported by the therapeutic effects of acamprosate and naltrexone.
- Genetic factors, stress, and environmental cues significantly influence alcohol relapse.
- Long-term alterations in mesolimbic system neuronal activity, involving dopamine and serotonin, may underlie alcohol relapse.
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