Morphine suppression of ethanol withdrawal in mice

Summary The acute administration of morphine, alcohol or dopamine results in a pronounced suppression of the convulsions produced by alcohol in mice. The suppressive action of morphine on alcohol withdrawal in the mouse apparently is not a product of morphine intoxication, but rather to some other specific interaction between alcohol and morphine in the central nervous system. The conclusion suggest that dopamine may play a significant role as a modulator in convulsions produced during alcohol withdrawal.Dr.Kenneth Blum is Associate Professor in Pharmacology at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and a Career Teacher in Drug Abuse and Alcoholism under a grant number 1-TO1-DA00290-01 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.Acknowledgments. Our thanks are due toB. Wiggins, R. Marin andS. Elston for their excellent technical assistance. Research funded in part by Air Force Grant No. AFOSR-71-2075.