Alcohol Abstinence in Vulnerable Subpopulations of Drinkers

Alcohol dependence is a debilitating disorder for theindividual and very costly for society. Becausealcoholism is such a complex disease, animal modelsare used to mimic components of the disease.Alcoholism is defined by cycles of intoxication andabstinence, resulting in the compulsion to drinkalcohol, loss of control in limiting intake, andemergence of negative emotional states. These studiesfocused on behaviors during protracted abstinence inrats genetically and environmentally susceptible toalcohol dependence. Specifically, rats selectivelybred for high alcohol preference were tested foranxiety-like behaviors, and genetically heterogeneousrats were made dependent on alcohol and tested forrelapse behavior. Neuropeptide Y(NPY), an endogenous anxiolytic, was tested for itseffects on these behaviors. Anxiety-like behavior wassuppressed by NPY regardless of alcohol exposurehistory. However, NPY suppressed alcoholdrinking only in rats that underwent cycles ofabstinence. These results suggest that dysregulationof brain NPY systems is an important motivationalfactor that drives alcohol consumption in vulnerablesubpopulations of drinkers.