Although disulfiram has been used in the treatment of alcoholism due to the unpleasant sensations its concomitant ingestion with ethanol provokes, some patients reported stimulant effects after its ingestion. This issue has not been addressed in studies with animals. In mice, the stimulant effect of ethanol has been associated with increased locomotor activity and behavioural sensitization.
This study sought to analyze the influence of disulfiram on the development of behavioural sensitization to the stimulant effect of ethanol.
Our data suggest that besides the known psychological effects (fear of aversive effects) disulfiram efficacy on alcohol dependency treatment could also be due to its pharmacological interference in the brain neurotransmission.
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