The broad, long-term goal of the proposed project is to investigate a role for the GABA neurotransmitter system in modulating the rewarding and aversive properties of ethanol. The proposed studies will utilize the place conditioning paradigm to examine the acquisition of conditioned place preference (CPP) and conditioned place aversion (CPA) in DBA/2J mice. The place conditioning procedure provides a useful model to study the learned association between environmental stimuli and a drug's rewarding and aversive effects, and allows for the investigation of specific neural pathways involved in the acquisition of place conditioning. Although the GABA system has been implicated in mediating many of ethanol's behavioral effects, it has not yet been investigated as a possible modulator of ethanol-induced CPP or CPA.
The specific aims of this project are to test various doses of pharmacological antagonists selective for GABAA and GABAB receptor subtypes in the acquisition of ethanol-induced CPP and CPA. These studies will help elucidate the role of GABA in modulating the acquisition of conditioned responses to ethanol's neuropharmacological effects. Overall, the information gained from this project will contribute to an understanding of the neurochemical substrates underlying the motivational effects of ethanol. Studies such as these are important in order to develop appropriate clinical treatments for ethanol-seeking and addictive behavior in humans.
