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 paradigm has been established to examine alcohol's effects on social and aggressive behavior. The interactions of ethanol with various drugs that interact specifically with different neurotransmitter systems are also being investigated. A variety of benzodiazepine receptor inverse agonists have been found to partially reverse some of the behavioral effects of ethanol. Specific alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonists are also capable of reversing some of ethanol's effects. A variety of different methods are 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., subjects with Korsakoff's psychosis, various dementias) are being examined. Finally, the effect of changes in mood on cognitive functions is being examined in normal volunteers following treatment with alcohol.
