The Anticonvulsant Lamotrigine Reduces Bout-Like Alcohol Drinking in Rats.

We used an optical lickometer system to study drinking microstructure and effect of lamotrigine in voluntary alcohol-drinking rats. We showed that, similar to humans, animals differ by their drinking microstructure where some consume alcohol exclusively in a bout-like patterns. The study suggests that anticonvulsants, such as lamotrigine, may be one treatment strategy specifically affecting this type of drinking.