Blockade of the GABAB receptor suppressed alcohol self-administration in rats: an effect similar to that produced by GABAB receptor activation

Literature data suggest that activation and blockade of the GABA(B) receptor may produce similar effects on several reward-related behaviours. Accordingly, the present study was designed to investigate whether treatment with the GABA(B) receptor antagonist, SCH 50911, reproduced the suppressing effect of the GABA(B) receptor agonist, baclofen, and several positive allosteric modulators of the GABA(B) receptor on operant oral alcohol self-administration in rats. To this end, Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats were trained to lever-respond for alcohol (15% v/v) under the fixed ratio (FR) 4 (FR4) schedule of reinforcement. Once lever-responding had stabilized, rats were exposed to test sessions preceded by treatment with SCH 50911 (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg; i.p.). Two independent experiments were conducted, differing solely in the set of rats used. Selectivity of SCH 50911 effect on alcohol self-administration was assessed by evaluating the effect of SCH 50911 (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg; i.p.) on self-administration of a sucrose solution (0.7% w/v) in sP rats exposed to the FR4 schedule. In both 'alcohol' experiments, treatment with SCH 50911 reduced lever-responding for alcohol and amount of self-administered alcohol. SCH 50911 effect was characterized by large interindividual variability, with several instances of dose-unrelated reductions, and frequent occurrence of complete suppression of lever-responding for alcohol. Similar data were collected in the 'sucrose' experiment. These results extend to alcohol self-administration with the notion that activation and blockade of GABA(B) receptor may produce unidirectional effects on reward-related behaviours; these similarities are discussed in terms of differential contribution of pre- and postsynaptic GABA(B) receptors.