Topiramate attenuates the stress-induced increase in alcohol consumption and preference in male C57BL/6J mice

Stress increases the risk for alcohol abuse and relapse behaviors. However, there are hardly any medications to counteract stress-induced alcoholism and relapse behaviors. The present study examined the effects of topiramate (intraperitoneal injections of 10, 20, and 30mg/kg) in its ability to attenuate alcohol consumption on exposure to restraint stress in C57BL/6J mice on a 2-choice test procedure. Mice were either restrained for 1h/day for 5 successive days or left unrestrained. Subsequently, the effects of topiramate were studied in post-restraint days. Results showed that restrained animals increased alcohol consumption and alcohol preference significantly compared to control group on day 5. On post-restraint days, topiramate reduced alcohol consumption and alcohol preference on days 2–5 compared to saline. This experiment suggests that one mechanism of topiramate in reducing alcohol consumption and alcohol preference may involve an interaction with stress.