Effect of induction of antibodies to serotonin on alcohol consumption and the status of the brain mediator system in rats with various degrees of alcohol motivation

: Active immunization with serotonin-protein conjugate in rat experiments increased ethanol preference in animals with weak alcoholic motivation but reduced it in those with a high alcohol consumption. The level of antibodies to serotonin in blood was higher in alcohol-preferring rats than in water-preferring animals. The reduction of alcohol intake correlated with reduction of the level of 5-OH-indoleacetic acid in the animals' hypothalamus. It is assumed that the contrary effect of immunization with serotonin-protein conjugate on the alcoholic behavior of animals with a different initial level of alcoholic motivation is linked with the difference in their neurochemical organization.