ALCOHOL, BENZODIAZEPINE-GABA-A RECEPTOR COMPLEX AND AGGRESSION - ETHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL-DIFFERENCES IN RODENTS AND PRIMATES

Research in animals has only recently been successful in reliably mimi cking the long-established link between alcohol and heightened aggress ive behavior. The present review highlights the large individual diffe rences in die effects of acute low alcohol doses on aggressive behavio r in rodent and primate species, paralleling the human condition. Subp opulations of both species show reliable and repeatable enhancement of aggressive behavior when administered low, acute alcohol doses. Stati stical analysis of the temporal patterns of aggressive behavior indica te that alcohol prolongs aggressive bouts or ''bursts'' and increases the number of aggressive behaviors within each burst. However, the lat ency to initiate attack and the time between aggressive bursts are rel atively unaltered by alcohol. These alcohol-induced increases in aggre ssion can be potentiated by benzodiazepine agonists and prevented by a ntagonists. In addition, highly aggressive animals can be differentiat ed from nonaggressive ones at the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor comp lex. These data suggest an important link between alcohol, aggression and the GABA(A)-benzodiazepine receptor complex.