THE NOVEL ANTICONVULSANT, GABAPENTIN, PROTECTS AGAINST BOTH CONVULSANT AND ANXIOGENIC ASPECTS OF THE ETHANOL WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME

The effects of the anticonvulsant, gabapentin, were investigated, in m ice, on the withdrawal convulsive behaviour and anxiety-related behavi our that are produced by cessation of prolonged intake of ethanol. Whe n given at 50 or 100 mg/kg, this compound decreased the rise in handli ng-induced hyperexcitability which occurs during the withdrawal period ; the effects were most pronounced for the first 4 hr after administra tion. Gabapentin also decreased the convulsive response to an audiogen ic stimulus during the withdrawal period. The elevated plus-maze, with both traditional and ethological indices of activity was used as a te st of anxiety-related behaviour after cessation of chronic ethanol tre atment. Gabapentin, at 50 and 100 mg/kg, was found to decrease some, a lthough not all, of the signs of withdrawal-induced anxiety. At doses up to and including 200 mg/kg, gabapentin had no effect on motor co-or dination or spontaneous locomotor activity in control animals. The res ults demonstrated that gabapentin has a selective action in decreasing both convulsive and anxiety-related aspects of withdrawal behaviour a fter chronic ethanol treatment. Tt is possible that further studies wi th this compound may shed further Light on the mechanisms involved in the withdrawal syndrome. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.