Modest though they are, these initial results promisingly suggest that future studies may be able to apply brain function measures of drug effects derived in rigorously controlled laboratory neurocognitive research to groups of people interacting in natural social situations. By doing so, we hope that the effects of alcohol and other drugs on particular aspects of social interaction will be elucidated with a focus on the fine grain structure of interactions between individuals and relationships to varying doses and pharmacodynamics. In addition to advancing basic knowledge, such future research may provide useful information for improving pharmacological treatments of a variety of psychiatric disorders.
