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Science 4 September 1981:
Vol. 213. no. 4512, pp. 1135 - 1137
DOI: 10.1126/science.7268421
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Articles

Science, Vol 213, Issue 4512, 1135-1137
Copyright © 1981 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

Central norepinephrine metabolism during alcohol intoxication in addicts and healthy volunteers

S Borg, H Kvande, and G Sedvall

The concentrations of the major norepinephrine metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylene glycol (MOPEG), in lumbar cerebrospinal fluid of alcoholic patients were markedly elevated during intoxication and successively declined during 1 and 3 weeks of abstinence. During intoxication the MOPEG concentration in cerebrospinal fluid showed a statistically significant correlation with the blood alcohol concentration. In healthy volunteers who received 80 grams of ethanol, the MOPEG concentration in cerebrospinal fluid increased significantly. Healthy subjects sampled during intoxication had significantly higher concentrations of MOPEG in the cerebrospinal fluid than did subjects sampled after the end of intoxication. The results indicate that alcohol administration markedly stimulates norepinephrine metabolism in the central nervous system in human subjects possibly by increasing unit impulse activity of central noradrenergic neurons.


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Specificity of Ethanollike Effects Elicited by Serotonergic and Noradrenergic Mechanisms.
J. H. Krystal, E. Webb, N. Cooney, H. R. Kranzler, and D. S. Charney (1994)
Arch Gen Psychiatry 51, 898-911
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Decreased Epinephrine in Familial Alcoholism: Initial Findings.
C. M. Swartz, V. Drews, and R. Cadoret (1987)
Arch Gen Psychiatry 44, 938-941
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Clonidine vs Chlordiazepoxide in the Management of Acute Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome.
G. R. Baumgartner and R. C. Rowen (1987)
Arch Intern Med 147, 1223-1226
   Abstract »    PDF »
Cerebrospinal Fluid 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol and Norepinephrine Levels in Alcohol Withdrawal: Correlations With Clinical Signs.
R. J. Hawley, L. F. Major, E. A. Schulman, and M. Linnoila (1985)
Arch Gen Psychiatry 42, 1056-1062
   Abstract »    PDF »


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