Quantitative electroencephalographic studies of the effects of ethanol in rabbits= I. Interaction between ethanol and reserpine.

At a dose of 1 g/kg i.v. ethanol induced in the cortical EEG of rabbits a synchronization which lasted 2-3 hours. Thereafter a pronounced hyper-stimulation occurred which persisted up to 4 hours. Pre-treatment of the animals with reserpine reduced markedly the initial synchronization and abolished the delayed stimulant effect. These findings are discussed in terms of possible interaction between acetaldehyde and biogenic amines.