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Stress Increases Voluntary Alcohol Intake, but Does not Alter Established Drinking Habits in a Rat Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Author(s) -
Meyer Edward M.,
Long Virginia,
Fanselow Michael S.,
Spigelman Igor
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
alcoholism: clinical and experimental research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.267
H-Index - 153
eISSN - 1530-0277
pISSN - 0145-6008
DOI - 10.1111/acer.12012
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , water bottle , regimen , anxiety , medicine , turnover , self administration , psychology , psychiatry , bottle , mechanical engineering , paleontology , management , engineering , economics , biology
Background Life‐altering anxiety disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ), can co‐occur at high rates with substance use disorders. Alcoholism, compared with other substance use disorders, is particularly common. Rodent studies of acute stress effects on alcohol consumption show that stress can alter ethanol ( E t OH ) consumption. This study examined voluntary E t OH consumption in male L ong– E vans rats that had undergone a stress‐enhanced fear learning ( SEFL ) procedure. Methods Adult L ong– E vans rats were exposed to a stress that consisted of 15 inescapable foot‐shocks (1 mA, 1 second) known to cause a long‐lasting nonassociative enhancement of subsequent fear learning. Control animals received no shock. One day later, animals were placed in a novel and very different context and received a single foot‐shock. On day 3, animals were returned to the single shock context and freezing was used as a measure of learned fear. The intermittent access 2‐bottle choice (2 BC ) regimen consisted of 1 bottle of water and 1 bottle of experimental solution, either 19% E t OH or 28.4% sucrose–0.08% quinine, for a 24‐hour period, 3 days a week, and all other times 2 water bottles. This regimen lasted until stable levels of experimental solution drinking were reached, at which point the experimental solution was removed for 40 days and then returned to measure the resumption of consumption. Results Rats that received stress prior to E t OH consumed significantly more E t OH than control rats before and after reinstatement. Rats that received stress after drinking was established did not consume significantly more E t OH when the drug was returned. Stress had no significant effect on sucrose–quinine drinking, our calorie and taste control for E t OH . Conclusions A single traumatic event sufficient to produce long‐lasting enhancement of fear learning increases voluntary E t OH consumption, but does not alter previously acquired E t OH drinking habits or alter the consumption of a calorically equivalent sweet‐bitter‐tasting solution.