LA JOLLA, Calif., May 29 (UPI) -- A study reveals a cellular mechanism involved in alcohol dependence, U.S. researchers said.
The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, showed that gabapentin, a drug used to treat chronic pain and epilepsy, reduces alcohol intake in alcohol-dependent rats by normalizing chemical communication between neurons, which are altered by chronic alcohol abuse.
Dr. Marisa Roberto of the The Scripps Research Institute said that the central amygdala -- a part of the brain involved in emotions such as stress and fear -- is important in regulating alcohol consumption. Most central amygdala neurons communicate via a chemical signal known as GABA, which is an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Alcohol dependence has been associated with the strengthening of inhibitory synapses in this brain region.
The researchers tested how much alcohol the rats voluntarily drank and examined neural signaling in the central amygdala. They found that gabapentin reduced alcohol intake in rats chronically exposed to alcohol but not in rats that were chronically unexposed.
Gabapentin reduced alcohol intake in alcohol-dependent rats whether it was given systemically or infused directly into the central amygdala, supporting the importance of the central amygdala in alcohol dependence, the study said.
