Alcohol withdrawal reactions in rhesus monkeys

The magnitude of the ethanol withdrawal reaction was assessed in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) following 96 hours of either constant or systematically fluctuating blood ethanol concentrations (BEC) using both physiological tremor and scores on a behavioral checklist as dependent measures. Although specific BEC (50, 100, 200 or 300 mg/dl) were not reliably related to changes in mean frequency of tremor, this measure was a statistically significant curvilinear function of time as measured before and after zero BEC during the withdrawal period. Further, scores from the behavioral checklist demonstrated a dose-response relationship with respect to BEC. The data also suggest that systematically fluctuating BEC are associated with less severe withdrawal reactions when compared with appropriate data from the constant BEC condition.