DISCRIMINATIVE STIMULUS EFFECTS OF ETHANOL

The overall goal of the proposed research is to assess the contribution
of several receptor systems in mediating the interoceptive effects of a
low and a moderate dose of ethanol in male and female non human primates.
The interoceptive, or subjective, stimulus effects of ethanol can
function as discriminative stimuli using drug discrimination procedures
and can be used to evaluate possible receptor mechanisms implicated in
mediating of these effects. Recent studies have suggested several
receptor systems may mediate the discriminative stimulus effects of
ethanol, including the GABA(A) receptor complex, the NMDA subtype of
glutamate receptor complex, the 5-HT3 and 5-HT1 subtypes of serotonin
receptors. However, very little information is available concerning the
receptor systems that mediate the discriminative effects of ethanol in
non human primates. The degree to which data gathered on the
pharmacological basis of the ethanol cue in rodents extends to primates
is important to evaluate, particularly considering at least one of the
receptor systems (5-HT1B) suggested to mediate a component of the
discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol shows species specificity.
Therefore, it remains to be determined (1) whether the same receptor
systems mediate the ethanol due in rodents and primates, and (2) the
dose-dependent nature of the ethanol cue in primates. Furthermore,
virtually all the data gathered on the discriminative stimulus effects
of ethanol have been in male subjects. We propose to characterize the
pharmacological basis of the discriminative effects of ethanol in both
male and female of a species that has a estrous cycle similar to that of
humans. To accomplish the goals of the proposed research, male and
female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) will be used.