Effect of uncertainty on emotionality and ethanol self-selection in monkeys with cortical ablations

Alcohol selection and emotionality were examined in rhesus monkeys with frontal cortical ablations which had been subjected to stress via an "uncertainty" paradigm. Uncertainty produced a higher selection of alcohol as compared to nonstress situations. Controls and dorsolateral subjects when exposed to uncertainty selected more of an alcohol solution than either orbital stressed or control-nonstressed animals. Emotionality changes during alcohol-loading and control conditions were measured by recording the number of aggressive or aversive behaviors. Dorsolateral ablations increased the number of aggressive responses while decreasing the number of retreats in the alcohol-loading condition. In the other groups, alcohol loading did not affect the incidence of aggressive or aversive behaviors although they exhibited more retreats than advances across both conditions. Control-nonstressed subjects yielded the lowest number of total aggressive behaviors and the highest number of total retreats.