Effects of pimavanserin and lorcaserin on alcohol self-administration and reinstatement in male and female rats

The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) modulates fundamental motivational processes, and the neurochemical and behavioural effects of drugs of abuse. Recently, attention has focused on the role of 5HT acting via 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor sub-types in this regard. We examined the impact of manipulating 5HT2A and 5-HT2C receptor mediated function on several aspects of alcohol self-administration and alcoholseeking behaviour in male and female rats. Specifically, experiments investigated the effect of the 5-HT2A inverse agonist/antagonist pimavanserin, and the 5-HT2C receptor agonist lorcaserin on these behaviours. In male and female rats trained to respond for alcohol reinforcement on fixed ratio (FR) and progressive ratio (PR) schedules of reinforcement pimavanserin (0.3, 1 and 3 mg/kg) had no consistent effect on responding. Lorcaserin (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) reduced these behaviours in both sexes. Following extinction of responding for alcohol, alcohol-seeking was reinstated by cues previously paired with alcohol. Pimavanserin (1 mg/kg) and lorcaserin (0.5 mg/kg) significantly reduced this reinstatement. In a two-bottle 24 h intermittent access procedure pimavanserin had no significant effects, but lorcaserin reduced alcohol consumption in both sexes at 1, 4 and 24 h after access to alcohol was allowed. Finally, as determined using in vivo microdialysis, alcohol increased, and lorcaserin (0.5 mg/kg) reduced, extracellular levels of DA in the NAc in male rats. In rats treated with lorcaserin prior to alcohol injection the net effect was that DA levels were not changed compared to those measured in control rats. These results suggest that blocking 5-HT2A receptor activity has a very limited action to reduce alcohol-seeking. Activating 5-HT2C receptors had a broader behavioural profile to reduce alcohol selfadministration, alcohol drinking and alcohol seeking. These effects may partly result from a blunting of the effect of alcohol on mesolimbic DA release.

Automated summary

This study examined the effects of manipulating serotonin receptors on alcohol self-administration and alcohol-seeking behavior in rats. The results showed that blocking 5-HT2A receptors had limited effects on reducing alcohol-seeking, while activating 5-HT2C receptors had a broader range of effects on reducing alcohol self-administration, alcohol drinking, and alcohol-seeking behavior.