Animal Models of Alcohol Use Disorders and the Brain: From Casual Drinking to Dependence

Ketamine is an experimental antidepressant capable of reversing depressive symptoms. Binge drinking results in altered emotional behavior reminiscent of depression-like symptoms in animal models. We hypothesize that ketamine restores binge drinking induced defects in synaptic transmission similar to its effects in mouse models of depression. 3mg/kg of ketamine reduced binge drinking in female C57Bl/6J mice with no effect in males. Our data suggest that ketamine may be an effective treatment for binge drinking in females.