Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Berggren, U.
Right arrow Articles by Balldin, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Berggren, U.
Right arrow Articles by Balldin, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Alcohol and Alcoholism Vol. 38, No. 4, pp. 321-326, 2003
© 2003 Medical Council on Alcohol

SUBNORMAL ALPHA-2-ADRENOCEPTOR-MEDIATED SEDATION DURING 6 MONTHS OF SOBRIETY IN MALE TYPE 1 ALCOHOL-DEPENDENT SUBJECTS

Ulf Berggren, Kristina Berglund1, Matts Eriksson, Claudia Fahlke1,*, Olof Zachrisson and Jan Balldin

The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Mölndal, SE — 431 80 Mölndal and
1 Department of Psychology, Göteborg University, PO Box 500, SE — 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden

Received 10 May 2002; first review notified 12 December 2002; accepted 10 February 2003

Aims: In the present study, {alpha}2-adrenoceptor function was investigated over 6 months of sobriety in eight male alcohol-dependent subjects. Methods: Subjects were investigated with repeated clonidine (CLON, 2 µg/kg body weight intravenously) challenge tests at days 1 and 7, and months 2 and 6 after the end of a period of heavy alcohol intake. CLON-induced sedation was rated at challenge tests. Mental well-being was self-reported before all challenge tests. Three challenge tests were performed at 1-week intervals in six male healthy controls. Results: Sedation was significantly lower after CLON at all time-points for the challenge tests in alcohol-dependent subjects compared with mean values for three challenge tests in controls. Three dimensions of mental well-being were negatively correlated with scores of CLON-induced sedation at month 6. Conclusions: {alpha}2-Adrenoceptor function is subnormal, as assessed by CLON-induced sedation, for at least 6 months after termination of alcohol intake. Whether this subnormal receptor function is pre-existing and possibly genetically determined or is a consequence of long-term alcohol intake must be further investigated, as should this receptor status in alcohol-dependent subjects with longer time-periods of sobriety.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.