Alcohol Dependence, Withdrawal, and Relapse

Abstract

Chronic alcohol exposure can lead to the development of dependence, and when drinking is terminated a classic alcohol-abstinence (withdrawal) syndrome ensues. A host of dependence-related neuroadaptions underlie behavioral expression of various withdrawal symptoms as well as contribute to increased relapse vulnerability and return to excessive levels of drinking once a "slip" (relapse) occurs. Animal models have been extremely valuable in advancing our understanding of factors that influence motivation to drink alcohol, development of dependence, expression of withdrawal symptoms, and mechanisms that facilitate relapse and promote excessive, harmful levels of drinking associated with dependence. This chapter will first describe several experimental approaches for inducing dependence in animals and highlight methods used to study various aspects of the alcohol-withdrawal syndrome that closely relate to the human condition. Special emphasis is placed on behavioral and physiological symptoms that are particularly implicated in triggering relapse and sustaining heavy drinking. A review of studies involving animal models that link dependence with various self-administration procedures will then demonstrate approaches for studying excessive alcohol consumption associated with dependence. Finally, an overview of studies demonstrating genetic influences as well as motivational and neurobiological mechanisms purported to underlie escalated alcohol self-administration demonstrated in these models will be described. © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.