• Energy Research
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Withdrawal of phencyclidine (PCP), ethanol (ETOH), and other drugs reduces operant responding maintained by food.Experiment 1 examined the effects of withdrawing daily short access (2 h) to drug on impulsivity for saccharin (SACC) using a delay discounting task and comparing male and female rhesus monkeys. Experiment 2 examined the effects of withdrawing a nondrug substance (e.g., food or SACC) on impulsivity for PCP.In experiment 1, either PCP or ETOH was available daily with water for 2 h under a fixed ratio 16 (FR 16) or FR 8 schedule, respectively. In a second component, SACC was available for 45 min under a delay discounting schedule. Next, water was substituted, and drug access was then restored. In experiment 2, PCP was available under a delay discounting schedule during food satiation or restriction or during concurrent SACC vs water access.In experiment 1, withdrawal of 0.5 mg/ml PCP increased impulsivity for SACC, but not SACC intake, in males and females. During 16% ETOH access, impulsivity for SACC was elevated compared to baseline water access, and it returned to baseline levels during ETOH withdrawal. In experiment 2, food restriction resulted in increased PCP intake in males and females and increases in impulsivity for PCP that were greater in males than in females. SACC withdrawal had no effect on impulsivity for PCP or PCP intake.Withdrawal of PCP and reduced food access increased impulsivity for SACC or PCP, respectively. Impulsivity is a sensitive indicator of drug dependence.

The effect of bromocriptine (BRO), a D2 receptor agonist, on chronic oral ethanol (ETOH) self-administration was tested in a home-cage environment. Male Wistar rats (n = 77) were food deprived for 24 h. Then, a period of 15 days of limited-access (1 h/day) to food and to a sweetened ETOH solution was started [3% w/v of glucose and several concentrations of ETOH depending upon the group: 0% (control group). 1.5%, 5% or 10% v/v]. Later, another period started in which rats were maintained in a free-choice, two-bottle situation with food, tap-water and the sweetened solution available for 24 h/day, for 14 days. Following this period, BRO (5 mg/kg, SC) was administered, once daily, for 5 days, in the same continuous free-access conditions. ETOH consumption was also studied for 4 days after the last BRO injection. BRO increased ETOH self-administration throughout the 5-day period, regardless of the ETOH concentration available, in the rats with previous higher ETOH intake, without effect in the control animals. In the control rats, water intake was increased, whereas in the group that had access to the lowest ETOH concentration a decrease in water consumption was found. The enhanced ETOH drinking was maintained after BRO treatment for the animals with previous higher ETOH intake. BRO effects on water consumption were also maintained. These data suggest that BRO can potentiate ETOH intake and provide further support for the role of dopamine (DA) systems in mediating volitional oral intake of ETOH.

Sixteen male albino rats were divided into two groups of eight animals and maintained at either their free-feeding or at 80% of their free-feeding weight. For four animals, access to 8% ethanol was unrestricted, for the remaining four, access was restricted to eight 20-min access periods per day. Mean amounts of ethanol consumed per bout were greater during restricted access than during unrestricted access for food-deprived animals but not for free-feeding animals. Total daily ethanol consumption was greatest when animals were food deprived and access to ethanol unrestricted. Total fluid consumption and the within session distribution of water and ethanol responding were affected by feeding condition. For food-deprived animals, the amount of water consumed per session remained relatively constant. The increase in ethanol consumption over sessions resulted in an increase in total fluid consumption. For the free-feeding animals, increases in ethanol consumption resulted in decreases in water consumption so that total fluid consumption remained constant. In addition, food-deprived animals consumed all their daily water intake at the beginning of each session when food was present. Free-feeding animals consumed water throughout the session.

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between urine ethanol concentration and alcohol hangover severity. Methods: N = 36 healthy social drinkers participated in a naturalistic study, comprising a hangover day and a control day. N = 18 of them have regular hangovers (the hangover group), while the other N = 18 claim to be hangover immune (hangover-immune group). On each test day at 9.30 am, urine samples were collected. Participants rated their overall hangover severity on a scale from 0 (absent) to 10 (extreme), as well as 18 individual hangover symptoms. Results: Urine ethanol concentration was significantly higher on the hangover day when compared to the control day (p = 0.006). On the hangover day, urine ethanol concentration was significantly lower in the hangover-immune group when compared to the hangover group (p = 0.027). In the hangover-immune group, none of the correlations of urine ethanol concentration with individual hangover symptoms was significant. In contrast, in the hangover group, significant correlations were found with a variety of hangover symptoms, including nausea, concentration problems, sleepiness, weakness, apathy, sweating, stomach pain, thirst, heart racing, anxiety, and sleep problems. Conclusion: Urine ethanol levels are significantly associated with the presence and severity of several hangover symptoms.