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Limited‐Access Consumption of Ascending Ethanol Concentrations in Alcohol‐Preferring, Nonpreferring, and Sprague–Dawley Rats
Author(s) -
Martinetti Margaret P.,
Lowery Emily G.,
Vona Sally R.,
Wichnick Alison M.,
Adler Reid A.,
Finch Daniel G.
Publication year - 2006
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/j.1530-0277.2006.00098.x
Subject(s) - ethanol , alcohol , chemistry , context (archaeology) , alcohol consumption , zoology , endocrinology , biochemistry , medicine , biology , paleontology
Background: Ethanol intake and preference differences between the selectively bred alcohol‐preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats have generally been studied in a continuous‐access paradigm using 10% ethanol. Little is known about the consumption of lower concentrations of ethanol in these lines or consumption of a wide range of ethanol concentrations in limited‐access paradigms. Recently, limited‐access paradigms have been used to study the biological and pharmacological mechanisms of ethanol consumption in animal models. Such research would be informed by studies investigating ethanol oral self‐administration within a limited‐access context. Therefore, the current study addressed P, NP, and Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats' consumption of a wide range of ethanol concentrations in a 2‐bottle‐choice, limited‐access procedure. Methods: Male P, NP, and SD rats were given concurrent access to water and ethanol solutions for 1 h/d, 7 d/wk. Ethanol solutions were presented in an ascending series ranging from 0.01 to 20% (v/v) over 55 days. Ethanol intakes (g/kg), volumes of solutions consumed (mL/kg), and preference ratios were assessed for each rat line at each concentration. Results: Clear differences among the 3 types of rats emerged at an ethanol concentration of 4%, although differences between P and NP rats emerged at concentrations as low as 1.8%. Alcohol‐preferring rats almost exclusively preferred ethanol solutions over water at ethanol concentrations of 4% and above, whereas SD and NP rats' preference ratios were more variable. Conclusions: The results suggest that differences between P and NP rats exist at ethanol concentrations lower than those previously studied in continuous‐access paradigms. They also provide a current description of the ranges of ethanol concentrations preferred by P, NP, and SD rats.