Primates in Alcohol Research

Abstract

The genetic similarity to humans of nonhuman primates makes them well suited to serve as models of complex human disorders such as alcoholism. Like humans, nonhuman primates vary with respect to their alcohol consumption, even within the same species. Studies of the origins of high consumption among nonhuman primates have suggested that both genetic and environmental factors play a role in their drinking. In fact, researchers have found some support for multiple subtypes of alcoholism among nonhuman primates.

Keywords: AOD dependence; Cloninger’s typology; animal model; environmental factors; hereditary factors; research.

Figure 1

Effects of early rearing experiences and social separation on alcohol consumption in adolescent rhesus macaques (N = 22). The baseline bar shows the average consumption over 10 days before separation from other group members. The other bars represent the average consumption for each group during and after periods of separation. The average consumption during separation is divided into an acute phase (mean consumption on the first day of each separation) and a chronic phase (mean consumption on the remaining 3 days of each separation). The recovery bar shows the average of 10 days of alcohol consumption postseparation. * = significant difference between the peer-reared subjects and the mother-reared subjects within the same period. ** = significant increase in alcohol consumption among the mother-reared subjects during social separation compared with consumption before separation. The apparent reduction in alcohol consumption by the peer-reared monkeys during the chronic phase of the social separation is not statistically significant. SOURCE: Adapted from Higley et al. 1991.

Figure 2

Alcohol consumption for 10 groups of rhesus macaques (26 males and 29 females) reared apart from their fathers. Each group (represented by a bar) includes at least three members, all of whom have the same father. For comparison, the “0.0” line represents the average consumption for a typical group of rhesus macaques. Thus, the chart shows that offspring of father T78 consistently consume more alcohol than the average, whereas offspring of father R86 consume less. The figure demonstrates that alcohol consumption may indeed be a product of paternal genetic influences.