title: Comparison of alcohol-preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats on tests of anxiety and for the anxiolytic effects of ethanol.
abstract: Rats of the selectively bred alcohol-preferring P and alcohol-nonpreferring NP lines were evaluated using three different behavioral measures of anxiety. Compared with NP rats, P rats (1) showed greater footshock-induced suppression of operant responding in an approach-avoidance conflict test; (2) spent less time in the open arms of an elevated plus maze; and (3) took longer in a passive avoidance test to step down from a platform to a grid floor where footshock was received 24 hours earlier. These findings indicate a greater degree of anxiety in the P than in the NP line of rats in these situations. Pretreatment with intraperitoneal (IP) ethanol (0.5-1.0 g/kg) injections produced anticonflict or anxiolytic effects in P but not in NP rats. However, the anticonflict effects of ethanol were small relative to those produced by chlordiazepoxide (CDP, 7.5 mg/kg) in both lines. The results demonstrate that selective breeding for divergent oral ethanol preference has produced associated differences between the P and NP lines of rats in behavioral tests of anxiety and in the anxiolytic effects of ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis 46205.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Gatto
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lumeng
authors.forename: T K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000494:pharmacology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D000431:Ethanol; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide