Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of naltrexone treatment for 21 consecutive days on short-term memory in ethanol-preferring and non-preferring outbred rats.
Methods: Ethanol preferring, non-preferring and control Wistar rats were treated with naltrexone [0.1 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.)] for 21 consecutive days. Short-term memory was assessed by using an olfactory social recognition test.
Results: A single administration of naltrexone (0.1 mg/kg i.p.) to non-ethanol-treated animals facilitated social memory, whereas the drug did not affect short-term memory in either group of chronically ethanol-treated rats. Multiple naltrexone treatment also lowered alcohol intake in ethanol-preferring rats.
Conclusion: Naltrexone-ethanol interaction does not seem to produce any negative effect on the short-term memory in outbred rats.