Alpha-2 Adrenergic Agonists Reduce Heavy Alcohol Drinking and Improve Cognitive Performance in Mice.

ABSTRACT: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the top behavioral causes of global disease burden in the United States. Repeated cycles of alcohol intoxication and abstinence induce neuroplastic alterations which induce excessive drinking and cognitive impairments. A system deeply dysregulated by chronic drinking is norepinephrine (NE). At moderate levels, NE has beneficial effects on cognition and behavior, mediated by the α2 adrenergic receptor (AR) subtype. Whether α2 AR activation blunts alcohol consumption in models of heavy drinking has not been determined, and whether α2 AR activation improves cognitive performance following chronic alcohol consumption is unknown. Here, we show that the α2 AR agonist clonidine worsens ethanol-induced hypothermia and sedation in male mice, while the more selec

SUBMITTER: Quadir SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12866760 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature