What do Drunk Mice Have to do With Science?

      
      A recent study conducted at the University of Texas-Austin by Hitoshi Morikawa has shown that alcoholics are more likely to develop "subconscious reward-based conditioning". This means that alcoholics are at a greater risk of developing new cravings thanks to the alcohol's affect on their brains.
        In the study, a set of mice were put on a week long "drinking binge". They were given 2 grams of ethanol per kilogram of weight 3 times a day for seven days. This is equivalent to a person going on a drinking binge where the BAC is around the legal limit of .08. Control mice underwent the same procedure only with saline injections instead of ethanol. The mice were then placed in a box with 2 distinct compartments.The mice were allowed to roam both compartments and neither one side nor the other was favored. The mice were then given a cocaine injection on one side of the box. After 2 cocaine injections the mice were observed for side preference and then results showed that the mice who were NOT on the drinking binge increased their time on the cocaine side by 7% where the mice that DID receive the alcohol lingered on the cocaine side 14% longer than before. These tests show that alcohol does in fact increase the subconscious development of reward-based conditioning.
       Alcohol and other substances trigger the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain, which signals the brain to take note of the environment/circumstances in which they fulfill their cravings. "We can think of those neurons that release dopamine as 'teachers' that tell other brain areas, the 'students,' to learn the associations surrounding rewards such as food, sex and addictive drugs," Morikawa explains.This creates a reaction similar to Pavlov's dog. With the dog a bell was rung every time it was fed until it got to the point where it salivated when the bell rang. Addicts experience a similar effect when around locations, people, or situations that remind them of the drug or addiction.
     This research is significant because it is showing that alcoholics are at greater risk for developing new cravings/addictions because of the alcohol's effects. This information could be put to use helping alcoholics and other addicts learn to overcome their demons.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mouse-study-suggests-why