Cocaine is commonly abused in the United States, and alcohol often is taken concurrently with cocaine. Despite the frequency with which this combination is abused we have almost no information about the combined effects of these drugs on social behavior. This is a proposal to study the effects of cocaine alone and with alcohol on the social behavior of monkeys. The project also will examine the effects of cocaine upon alcohol self-administration by these animals, pursuing the hypothesis that cocaine may directly stimulate alcohol consumption. Some of the studies will involve intermittent, infrequent administration of different cocaine doses- examining dose response curves for social behavior and alcohol self-administration after cocaine doses. Separately, frequent, chronic dosing will examine the development of tolerance or sensitization in cocaine's effects upon alcohol consumption and social behavior. Finally, the project proposes to develop a new technique for voluntary cocaine self administration by group-living primates. Animals will be permitted to voluntarily inhale cocaine fumes in a small chamber, which they may enter or exit at will. This """"""""monkey crack house"""""""" explores in an animal model the rapidly spreading abuse of cocaine fumes by human beings. This project will provide information on the development of cocaine dependence by the transpulmonary route, and will further examine effects of cocaine on alcohol self-administration and social behavior, as well as the effects of alcohol on cocaine self-administration and social behavior. These unique studies are possible because of our prior training of monkeys to consume alcohol in doses ranging from """"""""social drinking"""""""" to """"""""alcoholic-like drinking"""""""" levels. Subjects with such previous training will be entered directly into the projects proposed here. Taken together, the research is designed to provide clinically useful information about cocaine's behavioral effects, including its effects upon alcohol ingestion, and including information about the combined effects of cocaine and alcohol on social behavior.
