MECHANISMS OF ALCOHOL-ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM IN ADOLESCENTS - A CASE FOR DEVELOPING ANIMAL-MODELS

This paper reviews the ontogeny of neurotransmitter systems and neurop harmacological challenge within transmitter systems and discusses the actions of alcohol on such systems during the juvenile through adolesc ent periods. To place the animal research within the context of human development, an attempt is made to first examine some fundamental prin ciples of developmental research as they relate to the adolescent peri od. Evidence presented from animal studies indicates that unique neuro chemical and behavioral changes are occurring during postnatal develop ment, including adolescence, that could mediate the response to alcoho l. The limited number of studies on the neurochemical and behavioral r esponse to alcohol during adolescence has employed rats and has been r estricted by the relatively brief adolescent period in that species. W hile one alternative is to use primates, it is suggested that innovati ve behavioral paradigms be developed for adolescent animals in other s pecies to study behaviors such as alcohol self-administration or alcoh ol stimulus discrimination. It is also suggested that existing behavio ral models that are more easily adapted to younger age ranges (e.g., c onditioned place preference, conditioned taste aversion, thermal respo nse to ethanol) be extended to make ontogenetic comparisons through ad olescence and adulthood. This may further our understanding of alcohol 's immediate consequences during each maturational stage and, more imp ortant, the contribution of early alcohol exposure to excessive drinki ng and abnormal cognitive and social functioning during subsequent sta ges of development. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.