Chapter 4.5 Drug and alcohol dependence-related behaviors

Methods for investigating drug dependence and withdrawal are in every respect as complex as those directed at any other class of behaviors. One area that seems underrepresented in the litera- ture reviewed is the simultaneous consideration of multiple aspects of dependence and withdrawal. We have generally considered two broad classes of behavior, those related directly to withdrawal and those reflecting changes in drug-related reinforcement. In several examples, we have shown that even commonly-studied inbred mouse strains do not necessarily show patterns of behavior that seem "consistent" upon casual observation. The full array of neurobehavioral genetic as tools can be used to increase our under- standing of how these various types of drug dependence-related behaviors derive from the underlying neurobiological changes during chronic drug administration. Increased knowledge of these relationships will in turn then allow us to understand the effects of targeted gene manipulations more directly.