Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Behavioral Pharmacology of Alcohol

  • Chapter
Handbook of Substance Abuse

Abstract

The actions of ethyl alcohol (ethanol) on behavior are diverse and depend on amount of ethanol administered, the time-course of administration, route of administration, and particularly blood ethanol level. Blood ethanol level is determined by the administration parameters, exposure history (both long term and recent), and environmental context. A wide spectrum of behavioral effects have been studied, particularly positive reinforcing actions maintaining self-administration and aversive effects observed in conditioned taste aversion. This chapter reviews the behavior pharmacology of ethanol.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Altschuler, H., Weaver, S., and Phillips, P. (1975). Intragastrie self-administration of psychoactive drugs by Rhesus monkeys. Life Science, 17, 883–890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, H. (1991). Distinctive discriminative effects of ethanol. In R. A. Glennon, T. U. C. Jarbe, and J. Frankenheim (Eds.), Drug discrimination: Application to drug abuse research (NIDA Research Monograph No. 116, pp. 131–144 ). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berman, R. E, and Cannon, D. S. (1974). The effect of prior ethanol experience on ethanol-induced saccharin aversions. Physiology and Behavior, 12, 1041–1044.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bird, D. C., and Holloway, F. A. (1989). Development and loss of tolerance to the effects of ethanol on DRL performance of rats. Psychopharmacology, 97, 45–50.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. S. (1968) A study of the alcohol-tolerance effect and an introduction of a new behavioral technique. Psychopharmacologia, 12, 433–440.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crow, L. T., and Hart, P. J. (1983). Alcohol and behavioral variability with fixed-interval reinforcement. Bulletin of the Psychomonic Society, 21, 483–484.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L. (1979). Flavor and location aversions produced by ethanol. Behavioral and Neural Biology, 27, 362–367.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L. (1980). Spatial aversion conditioning with ethanol. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 14, 263–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L. (1994). Modulation of ethanol reinforcement by conditioned hypothermia. Psychopharmacology, 115, 79–85.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L., and Niehus, D. (1989). Effects of ingestion-contingent hypothermia on ethanol self-administration. Alcohol, 6, 337–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L., and Prather, L. K. (1992). Conditioning trial duration affects ethanol-induced conditioned place preference in mice. Animal Learning and Behavior, 20, 187–194.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham, C. L., Losli, S., and Risinger, E. (1992). Context-drug pairings enhance tolerance to ethanol-induced disruption of operant responding. Psychopharrnacology, 109, 217–222.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dole, V., Ho, A., and Gentry, R. (1983). An improved technique for monitoring the drinking behavior of mice. Physiology and Behavior, 30, 971–974.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falk, J. (1961). Production of polydipsia in normal rats by an intermittent food schedule. Science, 133, 195–196.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falk, J., and Tang, M. (1988). What schedule-induced polydipsia can tell us about alcoholism. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12, 577–584.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Falk, J., Samson, H., and Winger, G. (1972). Behavioral maintenance of high concentrations of blood ethanol and physical dependence in the rat. Science, 177, 811–813.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ferster, C. B., and Skinner, B. F. (1957). Schedules of rein- forcement. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Files, E J., Samson, H., and Brice G. (1995). Sucrose, ethanol, and sucrose-ethanol reinforced responding under variable-interval schedules of reinforcement. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 19, 1271–1278.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galizio, M., Perone, M., and Spencer, B. A. (1986). Variable interval schedules of timeout from avoidance: Effects of ethanol, naltrexone and CGS 8218. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 25, 439–448.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Galizio, M., Hale, K. L., Liborio, M. O., and Miller, M. (1993). Variable-ratio schedules of timeout from avoidance: Effects of anxiolytic drugs. Behavioral Pharmacology, 4, 487–493.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gauvin, D., Youngblood, B., and Holloway, E (1992). The discriminative stimulus properties of acute ethanol withdrawal (hangover) in rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 16, 336–341.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gauvin, D., Goulden, K., and Holloway, F. (1993). State-dependent stimulus control: Cueing attributes of ethanol “hangover” in rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 17, 1210–1214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • George, E (1988a). Genetic and environmental factors in ethanol self-administration. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 27, 379–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George, E (1988b). Genetic tools in the study of drug self-administration. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12, 586–590.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, R. (1974). Effects of food deprivation and fluid sweetening on alcohol consumption by rats. Quarterlv Journal of Alcohol Studies, 35, 42–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill, K., and Amit Z. (1987). Effects of serotonin uptake blockade on food, water and ethanol consumption in rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 11, 444–449.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Glowa, J. R., and Barrett, J. E. (1976). Effects of alcohol on punished and unpunished responding of squirrel monkeys. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 4, 169–173.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K., and Samson, H. (1985). Induction and maintenance of ethanol self-administration without food deprivation in the rat. Psvchopharmacology, 86, 475–479.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K. A. (1994). Emerging neurochemical concepts in the actions of ethanol at ligand-gated ion channels. Behavioral Pharmacology, 5, 383–404.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, K. A., and Barrett, J. E. (1991). Blockade of the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. Psychopharmacology, 104, 451–456.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heyman, G., and Oldfather, C. (1992). Inelastic preference for ethanol in rats: An analysis of ethanol’s reinforcing effects. Psychological Sciences, 3, 122–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higley, J., Hasert, M., Suomi, S., and Linnoila, M. (1991). Nonhuman primate model of alcohol abuse: Effects of early experience, personality, and stress on alcohol consumption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the USA, 88, 7261–7265.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, F., Michaelis, R., Hartland, R., Criado, J., and Gauvin, D. (1992). Tolerance to ethanol’s effects on operant performance in rats: Role of number and pattern of intoxicated practice opportunities. Psychopharmacology, 109, 112–120.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, F. A., Bird, D. C., Holloway, J. A., and Michaelis, R. C. (1988). Behavioral factors in development of tolerance to ethanol’s effects. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior; 29, 105–113.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, E A., King, D. A., Michaelis, R. C., Harland, R. D., and Bird, D. C. (1989). Tolerance to ethanol’s disruptive effects on operant behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology, 99, 479–485.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, W., and Zakhari, S. (1995). Stress, gender, and alcohol-seeking behavior (NIAAA Research Monograph No. 29 ). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalant, H., LeBlanc, A., and Gibbins, R. (1971). Tolerance to, and dependence on some non-opiate psychotropic drugs. Pharmacological Reviews, 23, 135–191.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Katz, J. L., and Barrett, J. E. (1978). Effects of ethanol on behavior under fixed-ratio, fixed interval, and multiple fixed-ratio fixed-interval schedules in the pigeon. Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie, 234, 88–96.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koob, G. F., Mendelson, W. B., Schafer, J., Wall, T. L., Britton, K. T., and Bloom, F. E. (1989). Picrotoxinin receptor ligand blocks anti-punishment effects of alcohol. Alcohol, 5, 437–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lancaster, F., Spiegal, K. S., and Zaman, M. (1987). Voluntary beer drinking in rats. Alcohol and Drug Research, 7, 393–403.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, T.-K., and Lumeng, L. (1984). Alcohol preference and voluntary alcohol intakes of inbred rat strains and the National Institutes of Health heterogeneous stock of rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 8, 485–486.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Linnoila, M., Virkkunen, M., George, T., and Higley, D. (1993). Impulse control disorders. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 8, 53–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linseman, M. (1987). Alcohol consumption in free-feeding rats: Procedural, genetic and pharmacokinetic factors. Psychopharmacology, 92, 254–261.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lytle, D. A., Egilmez, Y., Rocha, B. A., and Emmett-Oglesby, M. W. (1994). Discrimination of ethanol and diazepam: Differential cross-tolerance. Behavioral Pharmacology, 5, 451–460.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mansfield, J., and Cunningham, C. (1980). Conditioning and extinction of tolerance to the hypothermic effect of ethanol in rats. Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology, 94, 962–969.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meisch, R. (1976). The function of schedule-induced polydipsia in establishing ethanol as a positive reinforcer. Pharmacological Reviews, 27, 465–473.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meisch, R., and Stewart, R. (1994). Ethanol as a reinforcer: A review of laboratory studies with non-human primates. Behavioral Pharmacology, 5, 425–440.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meisch, R., and Thompson, T. (1973). Ethanol as a reinforcer: Effects of fixed ratio size and food deprivation. Psychopharmacologia, 28, 171–183.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miczek, K., DeBold, J., and van Erp, A. (1994). Neuropharmacological characteristics of individual differences in alcohol effects on aggression in rodents and primates. Behavioral Pharmacology, 5, 407–421.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nachman, M., Larue, C., and LeMagnen, J. (1971). The role of olfactory and orosensory factors in the alcohol preference of inbred strains of mice. Physiology and Behavior, 6, 53–95.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pitts, R. C., Lewis, M. J., and Dworkin, S. I. (1993). Effects of ethanol on punished and nonpunished responding under conditions of equated reinforcement rates and similar response rates. Life Sciences, 52, PLI-PL6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pohorecky, L. (1990). Interaction of ethanol and stress: Research with experimental animals-An update. Alcohol and Alcoholism, 25, 263–276.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ritz, M., George, E, and Meisch, R. (1989). Ethanol self-administration in ALKO rats: I. Effects of selection and concentration. Alcohol, 6, 227–233.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, A., and Koob, G. (1996). Intra-amygdala muscimol decreases operant self-administration in dependent rats. Manuscript under review.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H. (1986). Initiation of ethanol reinforcement using a sucrose-substitution procedure in food-and fluid-sated rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 10, 436–442.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H. (1987). Initiation of ethanol-maintained behavior: A comparison of animal models and their implication to human drinking. In T. Thompson, P. Dews, and J. Barrett (Eds.), Neurobehavioral pharmacology.- Advances in behavioral pharmacology (Vol. 6, pp. 221–248 ). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., and Falk, J. (1974). Ethanol and discriminative motor control: Effects on normal and dependent animals. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 2, 791–801.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Pfeffer, A., and Tolliver G. (1988). Oral ethanol self-administration in rats: Models of alcohol-seeking behavior. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 12, 591–598.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Tolliver, G., Pfeffer, A., Sadeghi, K., and Haraguchi, M. (1988). Relation of ethanol self-administration to feeding and drinking in a nonrestricted access situation in rats initiated to self-administer ethanol using the sucrose-fading technique. Alcohol, 5, 375–385.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Tolliver, G., and Schwarz-Stevens, K. (1991). Ethanol self-administration in a non-restricted access situation: Effect of ethanol initiation. Alcohol, 8, 43–53.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Schwarz-Stevens, K., Tolliver, G., Andrews, C., and Files, F. (1992). Ethanol drinking patterns in a continuous access operant situation: Effects of ethanol concentration and response requirement. Alcohol, 9, 409–414.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Denning, C., and Chappelle, A. (1996). The use of non-alcoholic beer as the vehicle for ethanol consumption in rats. Alcohol, 13, 365–368.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Samson, H., Files, F., and Brice G. (1996). Patterns of ethanol consumption in a continuous access situation: The effect of adding a sweetener to the ethanol solution. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 101–109.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schecter, M. D. (1974). Effects of propranolol, d-amphetamine and caffeine on ethanol as a discriminative cue. European Journal of Pharmacology, 29, 52–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulteis, G., Hyytia, P., Heinrichs, S., and Koob, G. (1996). Effects of chronic ethanol exposure on oral self-administration of ethanol or saccharin by Wistar rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 164–171.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shelton, K. L., and Balster, R. L. (1994). Ethanol drug discrimination in rats: Substitution with GABA agonists and NMDA antagonists. Behavioral Pharmacology 5, 441–450.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sinclair, J. D., and Senter, R. J. (1967). Increased preference for ethanol in rats following alcohol deprivation. Phvchonomic Science, 8, 11–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, R. B., and Grupp, L. A. (1981). An investigation of the interaction between the reinforcing properties of food and ethanol using the place preference paradigm. Progress in Neuropsychopharmacologv, 5, 609–613.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stolerman, I. P., Samele, C., Kanien, J. B., Mariathasan, E. A., and Hague, D. S. (1995). A bibliography of drug discrimination research, 1992–1994. Behavioral Pharmacology, 6, 642–668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swerdlow, N. R., Gilbert, D., and Koob, G. E (1989). Conditioned drug effects on spatial preference: Critical evaluation. In A. A. Boulton, G. B. Baker, and A. J. Greenshaw (Eds.), Neuromethods: Volume 13. Psvchopharmacology (pp. 399–446 ). Clifton, NJ: Humana.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tolliver, G., and Samson, H. (1989). Oral ethanol self-administration in a continuous access situation: Relation to food response requirements. Alcohol, 6, 381–387.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tolliver, G., Sadeghi, K., and Samson, H. (1988). Ethanol preference following the sucrose-fading initiation procedure. Alcohol, 5, 9–13.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tornatzky, W, and Miczek, K. (1995) Alcohol, anxiolytics and social stress in rats. Psvchopharmacology, 121, 135–144.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Erp, A., and Miczek, K. (1995). Alcohol self-administration and aggression in rats: Dopamine and serotonin in n. accumbens. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 21, 1702.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Erp, A., Samson, H., and Miczek, K. (1994). Alcohol self-administration, dopamine and aggression in rats. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 20, 1614.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veale, W (1973). Ethanol selection in the rat following forced acclimation. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 1, 233–235.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wayner, M., Greenberg, I., Tartaglione R., Nolley, D., Fraley, S., and Cott, A. (1972). A new factor affecting the consumption of ethyl alcohol and other sapid fluids. Physiology and Behavior, 9, 737–740.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wenger, J., Tiffany, T., Bombardier, C., Nicholls, K., and Woods, S. (1981). Ethanol tolerance in the rat is learned. Science, 213, 575–577.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winger, G., and Woods, J. H. (1973). The reinforcing property of ethanol in the Rhesus monkey: Initiation, maintenance and termination of intravenous ethanol-reinforced responding. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 215, 162–175.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Winter, J. C. (1978). Drug-induced stimulus control. In D. E. Blackman and D. J. Sanger (Eds.), Contemporary research in behavioral pharmacology (pp. 209–237 ). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wolgin, D. L. (1989). The role of instrumental learning in behavioral tolerance to drugs. In A. J. Goudie and M. W. Emmett-Oglesby (Eds.), Psychoactive drugs: Tolerance and sensitization (pp. 17–114 ). Clifton, NJ: Humana.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, USA

    Herman H. Samson & Forrest J. Files

Authors
  1. Herman H. Samson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Forrest J. Files
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Ralph E. Tarter  & Peggy J. Ott  & 

  2. Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

    Robert T. Ammerman

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Samson, H.H., Files, F.J. (1998). Behavioral Pharmacology of Alcohol. In: Tarter, R.E., Ammerman, R.T., Ott, P.J. (eds) Handbook of Substance Abuse. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2913-9_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2913-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3297-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-2913-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation