Alcohol
Volume 20, Issue 3 , Pages 271-276 , April 2000

Mechanism of the antialcohol effect of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid

  • Gian Luigi Gessa

      Affiliations

    • Bernard B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
    • C.N.R. Center for Neuropharmacology, Via Porcell 4, I-09124 Cagliari, Italy
    • Neuroscienze S.c.a. r.l., Via Palabanda 9, I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Roberta Agabio

      Affiliations

    • Bernard B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Mauro A.M Carai

      Affiliations

    • Bernard B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
    • Neuroscienze S.c.a. r.l., Via Palabanda 9, I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Carla Lobina

      Affiliations

    • Bernard B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
    • Neuroscienze S.c.a. r.l., Via Palabanda 9, I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Marialaura Pani

      Affiliations

    • Bernard B. Brodie Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Roberta Reali

      Affiliations

    • Neuroscienze S.c.a. r.l., Via Palabanda 9, I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
  • ,
  • Giancarlo Colombo

      Affiliations

    • C.N.R. Center for Neuropharmacology, Via Porcell 4, I-09124 Cagliari, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +39-070-6758422; fax: +39-070-657237.(G. Colombo). 1Present affiliation: Neuroscienze S.c.ar.l., Cagliari, Italy

Received 19 May 1998 ,Accepted 20 May 1998.

References 

  1. Addolorato G, Caputo F, Capristo E, Stefanini GF, Gasbarrini G. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (efficacy, potential abuse, and dependence in the treatment of alcohol addiction). Alcohol. 2000;20:217–222
  2. Agabio R, Cortis G, Fadda F, Gessa GL, Lobina C, Reali R, et al. Circadian drinking pattern of Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Alcohol Alcohol. 1996;31:385–388
  3. Becker H, Flaherty CF. Influence of ethanol on contrast in consummatory behavior. Psychopharmacology. 1982;77:253–258
  4. Blanchard RJ, Magee L, Veniegas R, Blanchard C. Alcohol and anxiety (ethopharmacological approaches). Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1993;17:171–182
  5. Blokland A, Prickaerts J, Raaijmakers W. Reduced level of anxiety in adult Lewis rats after chronic ethanol consumption. Physiol Behav. 1992;51:245–248
  6. Bozarth MA. Neural basis of psychostimulant and opiate reward (evidence suggesting the involvement of a common dopaminergic pathway). Behav Brain Res. 1986;22:107–116
  7. Britton DR, Thatcher Britton K. A sensitive open field measure of anxiolytic drug activity. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1981;15:577–582
  8. Cheramy A, Nieoullon A, Glowinski J. Stimulating effects of gamma-hydroxybutyrate on dopamine release from the caudate nucleus and the substantia nigra of the cat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1977;203:283–293
  9. Centers for Disease Control . Multistate outbrake of poisonings associated with illicit use of gamma hydroxy butyrate. J Am Med Assoc. 1991;265:447–448
  10. Colombo G. Ethanol drinking behaviour in Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats. Alcohol Alcohol. 1997;32:443–453
  11. Colombo G, Mosca E, Gessa GL, Fadda F. Suppression of ethanol intake in ethanol-preferring rats by 1,4-butanediol. Alcohol. 1990;7:503–505
  12. Colombo G, Agabio R, Balaklievskaia N, Diaz G, Lobina C, Reali R, et al. Oral self-administration of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the rat. Eur J Pharmacol. 1995;285:103–107a
  13. Colombo G, Agabio R, Lobina C, Reali R, Fadda F, Gessa GL. Cross-tolerance to ethanol and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid. Eur J Pharmacol. 1995;273:235–238b
  14. Colombo G, Agabio R, Lobina C, Reali R, Fadda F, Gessa GL. Symmetrical generalization between the discriminative stimulus effects of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and ethanol (occurrence within narrow dose ranges). Physiol Behav. 1995;57:105–111c
  15. Colombo G, Agabio R, Lobina C, Reali R, Zocchi A, Fadda F, et al. Sardinian alcohol-preferring rats (a genetic animal model of anxiety). Physiol Behav. 1995;57:1181–1185d
  16. Colombo G, Agabio R, Diaz G, Fà M, Lobina C, Reali R, et al. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) intake in ethanol-preferring sP and -non preferring sNP rats. Physiol Behav. 1998;64:197–202
  17. Conger JJ. The effects of alcohol on conflict behavior in the albino rat. Q J Stud Alcohol. 1951;12:1–29
  18. Costall B, Kelly ME, Naylon RJ. The anxiolytic and anxiogenic actions of ethanol in a mouse model. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1988;40:197–202
  19. Diana M, Mereu G, Mura A, Fadda F, Passino N, Gessa GL. Low doses of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid stimulate the firing rate of dopaminergic neurons in unanesthetized rats. Brain Res. 1991;566:208–211
  20. Di Chiara G, Imperato A. Drugs abused by humans preferentially increase synaptic dopamine concentration in the mesolimbic system of freely moving rats. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 1988;85:5274–5278
  21. Durcan MJ, Lister RG, Eckardt MJ, Linnoila M. Behavioral interactions of fluoxetine and other 5-hydroxytryptamine uptake inhibitors with ethanol in tests of anxiety, locomotor and exploration. Psychopharmacology. 1988;96:528–533
  22. Dyr W, McBride WJ, Lumeng L, Li T-K, Murphy JM. Effects of D1 and D2 dopamine receptor agents on ethanol consumption in the high-alcohol-drinking (HAD) line of rats. Alcohol. 1993;10:207–212
  23. Fadda F, Argiolas A, Melis MR, De Montis G, Gessa GL. Suppression of voluntary ethanol consumption in rats by gamma-butyrolactone. Life Sci. 1983;32:1471–1477
  24. Fadda F, Colombo G, Mosca E, Gessa GL. Suppression by gamma-hydroxybutyric acid of ethanol withdrawal syndrome in rats. Alcohol Alcohol. 1989;24:447–451
  25. Fattore L, Martellotta MC, Cossu G, Fratta W. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (an evaluation of its rewarding properties in rats and mice). Alcohol. 2000;20:247–256
  26. Gallimberti L, Spella MR, Soncini CA, Gessa GL. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the treatment of alcohol and heroin dependence. Alcohol. 2000;20:257–262
  27. Galloway GP, Frederick SL, Seymour R, Contini SE, Smith DE. Abuse and therapeutic potential of gamma-hydroxybutyrate. Alcohol. 2000;20:263–269
  28. George SR, Fan T, Ng GYK, Jung SY, O'Dowd BF, Naranjo CA. Low endogenous dopamine function in brain predisposes to high alcohol preference and consumption (reversal by increasing synaptic dopamine). J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1995;273:373–379
  29. Glowa JR, Barrett JE. Effects of alcohol on punished and unpunished responding of squirrel monkeys. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1976;4:169–173
  30. Grant KA, Barrett JE. Blockade of the discriminative stimulus and anxiolytic effects of ethanol with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. In:  Racagni G,  Brunello N,  Fukuda T editor. Biological Psychiatry, Vol. 2. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1991;p. 11–13
  31. Hale RL, Johnston AL, Becker HC. Indomethacin does not antagonize the anxiolytic action of ethanol in the elevated plus maze. Psychopharmacology. 1990;101:203–207
  32. Imperato A, Di Chiara G. Preferential stimulation of dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens of freely moving rats by ethanol. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1986;239:219–228
  33. June HL, Williams JA, Cason CR, Devaraju S, Lin M, Murphy JM, et al. Low doses of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) attenuate ethanol intake in alcohol-preferring (P) rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1995;19(suppl. 2):14A
  34. Krsiak M, Novakova D, Paclt I, Ostrovskaya RU. Effect of sodium hydroxybutyrate on behavior of mice after prolonged isolation. Bull Exp Biol Med. 1974;77:288–291
  35. Lal H, Harris CM, Benjamin D, Springfield AC, Bhadra S, Emmett-Oglesby MW. Characterization of a pentylentetrazol-like interoceptive stimulus produced by ethanol withdrawal. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1988;247:508–518
  36. Lecci A, Borsini F, Volterra G, Meli A. Pharmacological validation of a novel animal model of anticipatory anxiety in mice. Psychopharmacology. 1990;101:255–261
  37. Lettieri JT, Fung H-L. Dose-dependent pharmacokinetics and hypnotic effects of sodium gamma-hydroxybutyrate in the rat. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1979;208:7–11
  38. Li T-K, Lumeng L, McBride WJ, Murphy JM. Rodent lines selected for factors affecting alcohol consumption. In:  Lindros KO,  Ylikahri R,  Kiianmaa K editor. Advances in Biomedical Alcohol Research. Oxford: Pergamon Press; 1987;p. 91–96
  39. Lister RG. The use of a plus-maze to measure anxiety in the mouse. Psychopharmacology. 1987;92:180–185
  40. Maitre M. The gamma-hydroxybutyrate signalling system in brain (organization and functional implications). Prog Neurobiol. 1997;51:337–361
  41. Maitre M, Hechler V, Vayer P, Gobaille S, Cash CD, Schmitt M, et al. A specific gamma-hydroxybutyrate receptor ligand possesses both antagonistic and anticonvulsant properties. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1990;255:657–663
  42. Majchrowicz E. Induction of physical dependence upon ethanol and the associated behavioral changes in rats. Psychopharmacology (Berlin). 1975;43:245–254
  43. Majchrowicz E. Reversal in central nervous system function during ethanol withdrawal in humans and experimental animals. Fed Proc. 1981;40:2065–2072
  44. McBride WJ, Murphy JM, Lumeng L, Li T-K. Serotonin, dopamine and GABA involvement in alcohol drinking of selectively bred rats. Alcohol. 1990;7:199–205
  45. McMillan DE, Leander JD. Drugs and punished responding (effects of drugs on responding suppressed by response-dependent and response-independent electric shock). Arch Int Pharmacodyn Ther. 1975;213:22–27
  46. Mereu G, Fadda F, Gessa GL. Ethanol stimulated the firing rate of nigral dopaminergic neurons in unanesthetized rats. Brain Res. 1984;292:63–69
  47. Moncini M, Masini E, Gambassi F, Mannaioni PF. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate and alcohol-related syndromes. Alcohol. 2000;20:285–291
  48. Pfeffer AO, Samson HH. Haloperidol and apomorphine effects on ethanol reinforcement in free feeding rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1988;29:343–350
  49. Pohorecky LA. Biphasic action of ethanol. Biobehav Rev. 1977;1:231–240
  50. Poldrugo F, Snead OC. 1,4-Butanediol, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid and ethanol (relationships and interactions). Neuropharmacology. 1984;23:109–113
  51. Schmidt-Mutter C, Pain L, Sandner G, Gobaille S, Maitre M. The anxiolytic effect of gamma-hydroxybutyrate in the elevated plus maze is reversed by the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, flumazenil. Eur J Pharmacol. 1998;342:21–27
  52. Signs SA, Yamamoto BK, Schechter MD. In vivo electrochemical determination of extracellular dopamine in the caudate of freely-moving rats after a low dose of ethanol. Neuropharmacology. 1987;26:1653–1656
  53. U.S. Food and Drug Administration . Warning about GHB. J Am Med Assoc. 1991;285:1802
  54. Vogel RA, Frye GD, Wilson JH, Kuhn CM, Koepke KM, Mailman RB, et al. Attenuation of the effects of punishment by ethanol (comparisons to chlordiazepoxide). Psychopharmacology. 1980;71:123–129
  55. Weiss F, Mitchiner M, Bloom FE, Koob GF. Free-choice responding for ethanol versus water in alcohol-preferring (P) and unselected Wistar rats is differently modified by naloxone, bromocriptine, and methysergide. Psychopharmacology. 1990;101:178–186
  56. Wise RA, Bozarth MA. A psychomotor stimulant theory of addiction. Psychol Rev. 1987;94:469–492

PII: S0741-8329(99)00091-9

Alcohol
Volume 20, Issue 3 , Pages 271-276 , April 2000