Further studies on the role of noradrenergic mechanisms in ethanol withdrawal syndrome in rats.

Ethanol dependence was induced in rats by intragastric administration of ethanol. Clonidine (0.1 mg/kg ip) suppressed withdrawal reaction while yohimbine (2.5 mg/kg ip) produced an opposite effect. Propranolol (2.0 mg/kg ip) reduced withdrawal convulsions but not locomotor hyperactivity while prazosin (1.0 mg/kg ip) attenuated only the latter symptom. Electrolytic lesions in the ventral noradrenergic bundle slightly increased locomotor activity in ethanol-dependent rats but failed to change the convulsions. Our result indicates that drugs acting upon alpha and beta adrenoceptors are able to reduce the severity of certain withdrawal reactions in ethanol-dependent rats.