Open AccessOperant Self‐Administration Models for Testing the Neuropharmacological Basis of Ethanol Consumption in Rats
Author(s) -
June Harry L.,
Gilpin Nicholas W.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
current protocols in neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.307
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1934-8576
pISSN - 1934-8584
DOI - 10.1002/0471142301.ns0912s51
Subject(s) - operant conditioning , ethanol , pharmacology , administration (probate law) , consumption (sociology) , psychology , neuroscience , medicine , chemistry , reinforcement , social psychology , biochemistry , social science , sociology , political science , law
Operant self‐administration procedures are used to assess the neural basis of ethanol‐seeking behavior under a wide range of experimental conditions. In general, rats do not spontaneously self‐administer ethanol in pharmacologically meaningful amounts. This unit provides a step‐by‐step guide for training rats to self‐administer quantities of ethanol that produce moderate to high blood‐alcohol content. Different protocols are used for rats that are genetically heterogeneous versus rats that are selectively bred for high alcohol preference. Also, these protocols have different sets of advantages and disadvantages in terms of the ability to control for caloric intake and taste of solutions in operant testing. Basic self‐administration protocols can also be altered to focus on different aspects of the motivational properties of ethanol (for example, those related to dependence). This unit provides multiple protocols that lead to alcohol intake in rats, which can be pharmacologically probed relative to a variety of control conditions. Curr. Protoc. Neurosci . 51:9.12.1‐9.12.26. © 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.