Neurotransmitters and alcoholism: methodological issues.

This short review examines recent findings on neurochemical differences between alcoholics and various control populations. Particular emphasis is given to clinical variables which affect concentrations of neurotransmitter metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid, and which have to be controlled in order to make meaningful comparisons between various diagnostic groups. The review focuses on two of the major monoamine transmitters, serotonin and norepinephrine, and excludes neurotransmitters and modulators such as dopamine, acetylcholine, peptides, prostaglandins, amino acids and purines, since their significance to alcoholism is currently less well understood.