EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND ACAMPROSATE, AN ALCOHOL USE DISORDER TREATMENT, ON NONHUMAN PRIMATE BEHAVIOR AND MEMORY

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major issue facing the population both domestically and abroad. The repeated use of alcohol impairs various behavioral and cognitive functions such as attention and memory and disrupts normal communications between brain regions. These disruptions in communication can occur after single administrations of alcohol and can become permanent through repeated abuse. This disruption in communication negatively affects regions crucial to brain regions underlying working memory and attention, including structures such as the prefrontal cortex, posterior parietal cortex and others. Many drugs are used in the treatment of AUD, with acamprosate being one of the most commonly prescribed drugs. The specific mechanism of acamprosate has not been identified, but it is thought to have an indirect effect on mGluR, NMDA, and possibly GABAA receptors via calcium. This effect is thought to stabilize the hyper-glutamatergic state seen in withdrawal, while possibly reducing the dopaminergic response to alcohol. Acamprosate has been confirmed to be efficacious despite initial disputes of its efficacy through large composite studies. However, the possible behavioral and cognitive effects of acamprosate have not been studied in detail, necessitating further studies that investigate these possible effects.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2019

Author dc:creator

• Johnson, Christopher

• Acamprosate

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/93901

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/93901