Vol. 297, Issue 3, 1001-1009, June 2001

Effects of Fluvoxamine on Ethanol-Reinforced Behavior in the Rat

R. J. Lamb and T. U. C. Järbe

Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas (R.J.L.); Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (T.U.C.J.); and Department of Psychiatry, Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (R.J.L., T.U.C.J.)

Serotonergic deficiencies have been associated with alcoholism, and increasing serotonin function has been reported to decrease ethanol consumption. In this study, we examined the effects of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluvoxamine, upon ethanol self-administration in the rat, and as a test of specificity also examined the effects of fluvoxamine upon food-maintained behavior. Fluvoxamine decreased ethanol-maintained (0.1 ml per dipper presentation, 4-32% w/v ethanol) behavior at lower doses than the doses needed to decrease food-maintained (2 × 45-mg pellet) behavior. Examination of the behavioral interactions of ethanol and fluvoxamine upon food-maintained behavior showed that these observations did not result from synergistic behavioral actions that would occur during ethanol-maintained, but not food-maintained, behavior. Also, fluvoxamine did not alter the potency or efficacy of ethanol to occasion ethanol-appropriate responding in rats trained to discriminate 1.2 g/kg ethanol from vehicle. These findings suggest that fluvoxamine has specific actions upon the reinforcing effects of ethanol.