title: Surgical removal of the pregastric pouch does not affect voluntary ethanol consumption in golden hamsters.
abstract: Golden hamsters underwent either surgical removal of the pregastric pouch (PGX) or sham surgery. Following recovery from surgery, hamsters were given free access to 15% (v/v) ethanol solution for 40 days, and then to 30% ethanol solution for a further 32 days. PGX and sham-operated hamsters ingested similar amounts of absolute ethanol throughout the study, with intake exceeding 15 g/kg/day when 30% ethanol solution was available. The failure to find a significant effect of surgical treatment on ethanol intake was not attributable to a lack of statistical power, but rather suggests that other factors, such as the hamster's high levels of hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase, are responsible for the hamster's unusual tolerance for ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Psychology Department, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DiBattista
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus; D013270:Stomach / Q000502:physiology*