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Biomedical subjects

J R Volpicelli

Publications and source records attributed to J R Volpicelli.

52 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The bidirectional effects of shock on alcohol preference in rats.

Rats given a choice between a 5% alcohol solution and water will dramatically increase alcohol preference on the days following experience with inescapable electric footshocks, compared with unshocked animals. Although, total alcohol preference did not differ during shock days, an interaction occurred between shock stress and alcohol preference. Rats that initially preferred alcohol decreased alcohol preference during shock days, whereas, rats that initially avoided alcohol increased alcohol preference during shock days. Therefore, the stress of inescapable electric footshock has bidirectional effects on alcohol preference. These bidirectional effects depend on the temporal dynamics of alcohol consumption in relation to the shock experience and the initial alcohol preference.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1989

Comparative effectiveness and costs of inpatient and outpatient detoxification of patients with mild-to-moderate alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

We compared the effectiveness, safety, and costs of outpatient (n = 87) and inpatient (n = 77) detoxification from alcohol in a randomized, prospective trial involving 164 male veterans of low socioeconomic status. The outpatients were evaluated medically and psychiatrically and then were prescribed decreasing doses of oxazepam on the basis of daily clinic visits. The inpatient program combined comprehensive psychiatric and medical evaluation, detoxification with oxazepam, and the initiation of rehabilitation treatment. The mean duration of treatment was significantly shorter for outpatients (6.5 days) than for inpatients (9.2 days). On the other hand, significantly more inpatients (95 percent) than outpatient (72 percent) completed detoxification. There were no serious medical complications in either group. Outcome evaluations completed at one and six months for 93 and 85 percent of the patients, respectively, showed substantial improvement in both groups at both follow-up periods. At one month there were fewer alcohol-related problems among inpatients and fewer medical problems among outpatients. However, no group differences were found at the six-month follow-up, nor were differences found in the subsequent use of other alcoholism-treatment services. Costs were substantially greater for inpatients ($3,319 to $3,665 per patient) than for outpatients ($175 to $388). We conclude that outpatient medical detoxification is an effective, safe, and low-cost treatment for patients with mid-to-moderate symptoms of alcohol withdrawal.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Naltrexone blocks the post-shock increase of ethanol consumption.

Attention has recently focused on the possibility of an interaction between ethanol and the endorphin system. In this study the opiate blocker naltrexone prevents the expected post-shock increase of ethanol consumption. This provides further evidence that endogenous opiates are involved in the voluntary drinking of ethanol in rats.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1982

Tumor rejection in rats after inescapable or escapable shock.

Rats experienced inescapable, escapable, or no electric shock 1 day after being implanted with a Walker 256 tumor preparation. Only 27 percent of the rats receiving inescapable shock rejected the tumor, whereas 63 percent of the rats receiving escapable shock and 54 percent of the rats receiving no shock rejected the tumor. These results imply that lack of control over stressors reduces tumor rejection and decreases survival.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of an appointment reminder call on patient show rates.

A pilot study (N = 80) was conducted to determine if (1) prospective substance-dependent patients randomly selected to be reminded (TC) of their scheduled intake evaluation the day before their first appointment would have a higher show rate than those not contacted (NC); and (2) if TC subjects administered a satisfaction questionnaire 1-3 days after intake would exhibit higher treatment retention rates at one week and one month posttreatment entry than NC subjects not exposed to the questionnaire. The findings suggest that reminding prospective patients of their initial scheduled appointments and following up with phone calls to those who fail to show can improve the rate at which patients will initiate treatment, provided initial appointments are scheduled in a timely manner (7 days or less). Similarly, the combination of the reminder call and the satisfaction questionnaire were associated with higher treatment retention rates for those whose initial appointments were scheduled in a timely manner.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The influence of control over appetitive and aversive events on alcohol preference in rats.

The effect of control of food reinforcement or shock termination on alcohol drinking was examined in two experiments. In the first experiment, rats unable to control the delivery of food pellets preferred alcohol more than rats which had control over food. Similarly, in the second experiment, rats unable to control electric footshock termination preferred alcohol more than rats which could escape shock. These results showed that the psychological dimension of control over environmental events influences alcohol preference in rats.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Alcohol drinking in rats during and following morphine injections.

Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats given daily SC injections of 2.5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg morphine sulfate (for eight days) decreased preference for a 5% (v/v) ethanol solution, and then increased ethanol preference during the postinjection period, relative to a saline control group. These bidirectional effects were directly related to morphine dosage. The results were interpreted as supporting the theory that alcohol drinking is reinforced through its interaction with the endogenous opioid system and can compensate for deficiencies in opioid receptor activity.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Naltrexone in the treatment of alcoholism: a clinical review.

The pooled results from our Veterans Affairs studies are presented for 99 men. The naltrexone-treated subjects reported a reduction in alcohol craving and drinking, as well as less euphoria when they ingested alcohol. Relapse rates were significantly lower for the naltrexone-treated subjects than they were for placebo-treated subjects. Together with the consistent results from other double-blind trials of naltrexone, we conclude that naltrexone is a safe and useful adjunct in the rehabilitation of alcohol-dependent patients. Although administration of naltrexone was shown to improve treatment outcome, subjects who attended all 12 research visits demonstrated larger treatment effects. These data suggest that the use of naltrexone as a pharmacological adjunct to psychosocial intervention is an effective treatment for alcohol dependence. The effectiveness of naltrexone may be improved by designing a treatment program that enhances compliance with the medication.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reliability and validity of the Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment.

This article assesses the reliability and validity of the Cocaine Selective Severity Assessment (CSSA), a measure of cocaine abstinence signs and symptoms. Interrater reliability and scale internal consistency were high. Initial CSSA scores were significantly higher in cocaine-dependent subjects than in alcohol-dependent subjects. Initial CSSA scores were highly correlated with recent cocaine use and with severity measures from the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) including the interviewer severity rating and composite score in the drug section. Among cocaine-dependent subjects, initial CSSA scores were higher for those who failed to achieve abstinence or who subsequently dropped out of treatment. Further, CSSA scores showed consistent and marked declines over time for subjects who continued in treatment and remained abstinent. The CSSA appears to be a reliable and valid measure of cocaine abstinence symptoms and a useful predictor of negative outcomes in cocaine dependence treatment.

Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Open trials as a method of prioritizing medications for inclusion in controlled trials for cocaine dependence.

This paper describes a rapid and systematic method of using open trials to identify medications that may be useful for the treatment of cocaine dependence. Results of these open trials can be used to prioritize medications for inclusion in subsequent double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Preliminary results are presented from the evaluation of propranolol, nefazodone, and the combination of phentermine and fenfluramine (phen/fen). Each medication was evaluated in an open trial, and results were compared to results obtained from a group that received a multivitamin. Outcome measures included treatment retention, urine toxicology screens, self-reported cocaine use, and changes on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Treatment retention was significantly better in the propranolol group than in the multivitamin group. Concurrent alcohol abuse was associated with increased rates of attrition in the multivitamin group, and the phen/fen group, but not in the propranolol group. Neither the nefazodone nor the phen/fen groups showed any outcome advantages over the multivitamin group. We conclude that propranolol may enhance retention among cocaine-dependent patients, especially among those who also abuse alcohol. These results encourage a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of propranolol.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Morphine enhances selection of both sucrose and ethanol in a two-bottle test.

The influence of a low dose of morphine on the self-selection of alcohol and sucrose solutions is investigated. When given a choice between sucrose sweetened ethanol and plain water, rats show a significant preference for the sweetened ethanol. However, when given a choice between sweetened ethanol and sweetened water, rats increase consumption of sweetened water. These results suggest that the low-dose morphine enhancement of sweetened alcohol solutions is mediated by the reinforcing properties of sucrose not ethanol. However, when rats receive small doses of morphine and a choice between unsweetened ethanol and water, the rats increase consumption of ethanol. Therefore, a low dose of morphine enhances the self-selection of both sucrose and ethanol solutions. This provides additional confirmation that opioids may enhance the rewarding properties of a variety of appetite reinforcers.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Low dose of morphine and the consumption of a sweetened ethanol solution: differential effects on acquisition and maintenance.

The influence of a low dose of morphine was investigated on the acquisition and maintenance of consumption of a sweetened ethanol solution with water as the alternative in a two-bottle choice procedure. During acquisition in Experiment 1, morphine failed to significantly increase the consumption of a sweetened ethanol solution compared to either a postinjection period in the same animals or a no-treatment control group. Although morphine significantly increased sweetened ethanol consumption when compared to a saline control group, this appears to be due to a stress response to the injections, which suppressed ethanol consumption in the saline animals. During maintenance in Experiment 2, morphine significantly increased consumption of sweetened ethanol in all groups compared to consumption following saline control injections. There was no difference in this effect among the three groups, suggesting that prior history with morphine was not a factor. In addition, rats that were exposed to morphine during both experiments drank significantly more sweetened ethanol following injections in Experiment 2 than in Experiment 1. This suggests that morphine's potentiation of ethanol consumption is due to its interaction with endogenous opioid receptors that modulate the reward value of ethanol rather than more general mechanisms affecting satiety or taste. The results of these experiments provide support for both the Deficit and Surfeit Hypotheses of ethanol consumption, both of which suggest that endogenous opioid receptors are responsible, in part, for ethanol's reinforcing properties.

Alcohol Drinking↗