COGNITIVE CORRELATES OF SINGLE NEURON ACTIVITY IN TASK-PERFORMING ANIMALS - APPLICATION TO ETHANOL RESEARCH

The deleterious effects of ethanol on cognitive processes result from an interaction between ethanol and the neural structures that are crit ical for executing those cognitive functions. Results from studies tha t employ contemporary behavioral neuroscience techniques are beginning to elucidate the neural circuits that underlie specific cognitive pro cesses, and the stage is set for rigorous investigations into the neur al basis for ethanol-induced cognitive impairments. In this article, t he application of single neuron recording techniques to the study of t he memory and attentional deficits produced by acute exposure to row l evels of ethanol are described, with an emphasis on the advantages of combining physiological techniques with operant behavioral procedures in rats. After reviewing background information on the basic neurophys iological and behavioral techniques, empirical results from this labor atory will be used to illustrate how single-unit analysis can be appli ed to the study of ethanol-induced cognitive impairments.