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Psychosomatic Medicine 8:36-52 (1946)
© 1946 American Psychosomatic Society

An Analysis of the Influence of Alcohol on Experimental Neuroses in Cats

JULES H. MASSERMAN M.D. and K. S. YUM PH.D.

Control Observations: Twenty-one cats were taught first to obtain food by opening a box, then to respond to various conditional signals and finally to solve difficult problems involving the passage of barriers and the manipulation of switches to secure their reward. Alcoholic intoxication disintegrated their adaptative patterns to a varying degree, particularly affecting those that were most complex and recently learned.. Normal animals, however, showed complete restitution of function on recovery from intoxication, little habituation to alcohol, and no consistent signs of developing a preference for the drug.

Neuroses and Alcohol: The animals were subjected to special experimental procedures that induced and reinforced motivational conflicts between hunger and fear. Under such circumstances, they developed "experimental neuroses," characterized by pervasive inhibitions of normal goalresponses, hypersensitivities and aversions to stimuli associated with the conflictful field, loss of group dominance, and marked and persistent aberrations of somatic and motor function. The administration of small doses of alcohol again disintegrated these relatively complex "neurotic" patterns and permitted relatively simple goal-oriented responses to supervene. A significant number of animals who repeatedly experienced such relief from neurotic tensions developed a definite preference for alcoholic drinks; i. e., showed evidences of addiction to alcohol. However, as their re-exploratory behavior while mildly intoxicated partially resolved conflicts, this addiction diminished until nearly normal food-choices were restored.

These general conclusions are substantiated by a presentation of objective experimental data and its analysis under statistical control.

Note:
From the Division of Psychiatry, Department of Medicine, and the Otho S. A. Sprague Institute, University of Chicago.




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Copyright © 1946 by the American Psychosomatic Society