Antagonist action of imidazobenzodiazepine Ro 15-4513 on ethanol-induced alterations of saccadic eye movements in the pigmented rat.

Following an intraperitoneal injection of ethanol (1 g/kg), spontaneous saccades performed by pigmented rats showed a backward post-saccadic drift which was still present 45 min after the administration. When 5 mg/kg of Ro 15-4513 were injected, 15 min after ethanol, there was an immediate remarkable reduction in post-saccadic drift amplitude, with a full recovery in about 30 min after Ro 15-4513 administration. This drug is thus able to reverse the effect of ethanol and to restore effectively a mechanism of motor integration.