Levetiracetam and Intermittent Alcohol Drinking in C57BL/6J Mice (2012)

Undergraduates: Grant Muller, AE Agoglia, JE Robinson MC Krouse, EW Fish, CJ Malanga

Faculty Advisor: Catherine Lohmann
Department: Biology

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Excessive activity of glutamate, the most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system, is thought to factor in the consequences of repeated alcohol exposure. Levetiracetam (LEV), an anticonvulsant used to treat epilepsy, binds to the glutamate synaptic vesicle 2A, preventing release of glutamate into the synapse. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effects of acute LEV exposure on alcohol intake in C57BL/6J (C57) mice using a 24-hr intermittent access model of alcohol drinking. Every other day, two groups of male C57 mice were given 24-hr access to two bottles, one containing water and the other containing either 20% alcohol or 0.5% sucrose. Mice were injected with LEV (0.3 – 100 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 minutes before the start of the drinking session. The mice consumed an average of 21 g/kg in 24 hours, 5.4 g/kg during the first 4 hours of the drinking session. The effect of LEV specifically and dose-dependently on alcohol is characteristic of decreased alcohol consumption due to the involvement of glutamate activity. There was no effect on sucrose consumption, indicating that these results were not due to an alteration of thirst or taste mechanisms. This experiment provides preliminary support that LEV could be useful in treating alcohol abuse disorders.