Neurochemical correlates of behavioral processes

Abstract

Cumulative developments in the experimental analysis of behavior and behavioral pharmacology, together with relatively recent technical advances in the field of neuroscience, have provided a strong impetus to build on previous research and combine these disciplines into an integrated approach focusing on behavioral neurochemistry. Neither behavioral nor neurochemical changes are static independent processes but interact in dynamic and complex ways. Neurotransmitter activity can be conditioned using both classical Pavlovian and operant conditioning procedures. Neurochemical changes also occur when behavior is brought under the control of its environmental consequences. Behavioral variables such as the schedule-controlled rate of responding, prior history, and environmental context have been shown repeatedly to determine the effects of drugs and appear to have definable and distinctive neurochemical correlates. These variables may modify neurochemical substrates involved in drug action. Ongoing changes in behavior and neurochemistry are now concurrently accessible for experimental analysis. The synthesis of these two fields permits the exploration of behavioral and neurochemical interactions that were not easily accessible only a short time ago and promises to yield considerable information about both behavioral and neurochemical processes. This article summarizes the development of research in behavioral neurochemistry and attempts to show how a continuation of these endeavors can provide a better understanding of the interrelationships between behavior and neurochemistry as determinants of drug action.