To determine the psychobiological distinctiveness of various behavioral processes, pharmacological and genetic methods are being used. The relationships among alcohol's anxiolytic, reinforcing, amnestic, locomotor stimulant, sedative/hypnotic and hypothermic effects are being studied using a variety of inbred strains of mice. A new test of anxiety for use in mice has been developed, and has been demonstrated to be sensitive to both anxiolytic and anxiogenic drug effects. The role played by the benzodiazepine-GABA receptor complex in the effects of ethanol is also being investigated. Changes in the function of this complex have been observed following a single treatment with a benzodiazepine, and these changes may contribute to the development of tolerance. A variety of different methods is being used to investigate mechanisms of learning and memory. The cognitive functioning both of normal human volunteers under the influence of different drugs (such as alcohol and benzodiazepines), and of various patient populations (e.g., patients with Korsakoff's disease, various dementias) is being examined. The effects of drug treatments on learning and memory processes in laboratory rodents are also being studied. Finally, the effect of changes in mood on cognitive function is being examined in normal volunteers following treatment with alcohol.
