TREATMENT FOR ALCHOLISM: A PRIMATE MODEL

University Of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION This proposal was designed to allow for the investigation of treatments for alcoholism and the conditions under which these treatments may prove most effective. The experiments consist of examining the effectiveness of two pharmacological treatments, naltrexone, an opioid antagonist and bremazocine, a kappa opioid agonist, in reducing self- administration of oral ethanol by rhesus monkeys. Furthermore, it is possible that certain variables may influence may influence the effectiveness of treatment drugs. Therefore, the influence of an open versus closed economy on the effects of bremazocine will be investigated. An open economy allows for supplemented amounts of ethanol in addition to that which is earned, and in a closed economy the subject earns the entire amount. This paradigm allows for the investigation of the selectivity of treatment drugs. In addition, it is important to understand how ethanol-maintained behavior may differ as a function of sex. Thus, the effects of bremazocine and naltrexone on ethanol self-administration as a function of sex will be investigated.