Enkephalinergic-dopaminergic "reward" pathways: a critical substrate for the stimulatory, euphoric and memory-enhancing actions of alcohol--a hypothesis.

Recent evidence indicates that alcohol (ethanol) exerts specific effects on dopaminergic-enkephalinergic neuronal pathways which are involved with natural drive-induction and have also been implicated in reward and memory consolidation. It is proposed herein that the euphorigenic and "paradoxical" memory-enhancing effects of low doses of alcohol are related to its direct actions on this specific brain substrate.