Subjective Effects of Thiopental in Young Adults with and without a Family History of Alcoholism

Background: The development of alcohol use disorders is genetically influenced, and may be mediated through differences in the subjective response to alcohol. There is some evidence to suggest that response differences to alcohol could be conveyed by heritable differences in GABA_A receptors. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether individuals with a family history positive (FHP) for alcohol dependence would experience alterations in response to the GABA_A receptor agonist thiopental, in comparison to family history negative (FHN) subjects.

Methods: 73 subjects (24 FHP and 49 FHN) between the ages of 21 and 30 years were administered sub-anesthetic doses of the GABA_A receptor agonist thiopental and placebo on two separate test days. Various alcohol-related measures were administered, including those examining subjective effects, coordination, and cognition.

Results: Sub-anesthetic doses of thiopental produced alcohol-like subjective effects, as well as alcohol-like impaired coordination and cognition in healthy subjects. While there were no significant main effects in subjective, coordination, or cognitive effects between FHP and FHN individuals, analysis of peak effects suggested FHP had blunted sedative, but not stimulant effects compared to FHN.

Conclusion: Thiopental produced alcohol-like effects and perceived similarities to alcohol in healthy individuals. Subtle differences in sedative effects are consistent with reports of blunted FHP response to the negative but not stimulant effects of alcohol. Future studies are needed to better understand how this insight informs our understanding of the heritable risk for alcoholism and the treatment of alcohol use disorders.