Cholinergic mechanisms in physical dependence on barbiturates, ethanol and benzodiazepines

The aim of this review is to summarize the effects of acute and chronic treatment with barbiturates, ethanol and benzodiazepines on cholinergic mechanisms in the brains of experimental animals. A single dose of each of these substances reduces the turnover of ACh in the brain. Long-term treatment has the opposite effect; complicated interactions including decreased content of ACh are induced. Barbiturates have been shown to bind stereospecifically to muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in the brain, but this has not been observed for ethanol or the benzodiazepines. The effects on the cholinergic system are affected by the length of treatment and choice of treatment regimen. No effect on cholinergic parameters, such as muscarinic receptors, in the brain is observed on withdrawal of ethanol or barbiturate treatment when the animals are still tolerant towards the substances. The increase in the number of muscarinic receptors observed in several brain regions on withdrawal is seen as a sign of cholinergic supersensitivity. The number of receptors returns to normal when abstinence convulsions have occurred. The assumption of a cholinergic influence is supported by the finding that atropine, given as a single dose on the day of withdrawal of barbital, can prevent the muscarinic receptor changes. Furthermore, long-term barbital or ethanol treatment can induce permanent persistent changes in the cholinergic system in the brain. Cognitive defects and a significant permanent reduction in the content of ACh can be measured in rats which have had long-term barbital treatment. Similarly, a reduced number of muscarinic receptors has been measured in different brain regions of chronic alcoholics. Accumulating data support the role of the cholinergic system in expressing symptoms of physical dependence on barbiturates, ethanol and benzodiazepines as well as in the permanent long-term effects observed after end of treatment.