Elucidating the Biological Basis for the Reinforcing Actions of Alcohol in the Mesolimbic Dopamine System: The Role of Active Metabolites of Alcohol

The development of successful pharmacotherapeutics for the treatment of alcoholism is predicated upon understanding the biological action of alcohol.

A limitation of the alcohol research field has been examining the effects of alcohol only and ignoring the multiple biological active metabolites of alcohol. The concept that alcohol is a ‘pro-drug’ is not new.

Ethanol is readily