Animal research has been invaluable for discovering how alcohol exerts its biological effects. For example, numerous studies have shown an important role for GABA neurotransmission in mediating alcohol’s acute and chronic effects (Finn et al. 2004; Lobo and Harris 2008; Kumar et al. 2009). Additional animal studies have demonstrated that alcohol’s pharmacology involves nearly all major neurotransmitter targets, including the glutamate/NMDA,8 serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and cannabinoid receptor systems (Kelai et al. 2006; Smith et al. 2008; Vengeliene et al. 2005). By acting on all these signaling systems, alcohol ultimately exerts its effects through modulation of intracellular signaling cascades (Newton and Messing 2006). Without animal models, researchers could not have gained an understanding of these highly complex mechanisms underlying alcohol’s diverse effects, and genetic animal models in particular have aided in understanding individual differences in sensitivity to these effects.
