Interactions between ethanol and pantothenic acid on tremor and behavior in squirrel monkeys

Ethanol consumption alters the levels and distribution of pantothenic acid and its metabolic products, an effect that can be counteracted by preloading with pantothenic acid. Ethanol also produces significant disturbances in motor function and has a potent tremorolytic activity when administered acutely. To investigate the interaction of pantothenic acid and ethanol, the two substances were administered alone and in combination to three squirrel monkeys trained to perform a response-initiated positioning task that enabled the detection of tremor. Tremor was evaluated using spectral analytical techniques. Ethanol at 1.0 gm/kg produced a tenfold reduction in tremor over control sessions while pantothenic acid alone had no effect on tremor. Pantothenic acid (200 mg/kg, IP or IV) administered before ethanol intubation completely counteracted the tremor-reducing action of ethanol in two monkeys and partially counteracted it in a third. The interaction between pantothenic acid and ethanol was limited to these motor effects; the rate-reducing effect of ethanol was unaffected by pantothenic acid.