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

Abstract

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 Actaptative 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. However, animals subjected to special exptl. procedures that induced conflicts between hunger and fear developed "exptl. neuroses," characterized by inhibitions of normal goal-responses. The admn. of small doses of alcohol again disintegrated these "neurotic" patterns and permitted relatively simple goal-oriented responses to supervene. Some animals who repeatedly experienced such relief from neurotic tensions showed evidences of addiction to alcohol.