Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 318-321, 2002
© 2002 Medical Council on Alcohol
ETHANOL WITHDRAWAL IN RATS IS ATTENUATED BY INTRACEREBROVENTRICULAR ADMINISTRATION OF NEUROPEPTIDE Y
Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Department of Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, 9 Blegdamsvej, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Received 16 October 2001; in revised form 20 December 2001; accepted 16 January 2002
Aims: The effects of intracerebroventricular administration of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on ethanol withdrawal were studied in rats. Methods: Ethanol was administered intragastrically five times daily for 4 days. At 1617 h after the last infusion of ethanol, rats were rated for withdrawal using a score based on three signs: irritability, tremor and rigidity. Subsequently, the rats received an injection of NPY (12 or 24 nmol) or vehicle and were rated for signs of withdrawal. Results: At both doses, NPY significantly reduced ethanol withdrawal, the effect of the larger dose being more pronounced. Conclusions: Our results are consistent with the concept that NPY receptors are centrally involved in the regulation of neuronal excitability and might form a novel therapeutic target for treatment of ethanol withdrawal and other states of neuronal hyperexcitability.