title: Oral taurine supplementation modulates ethanol-conditioned stimulus preference.
abstract: The present study investigated the possible modulatory action of oral taurine supplementation on the rewarding and aversive properties of low and high ethanol doses in male Wistar rats. A vinegar odor stimulus was daily paired with either ethanol (0.3 or 2.0 g/kg) or saline. In addition, half of the rats were supplemented orally with taurine (0.5 g/kg/day). After eight conditioning sessions, all rats were tested for their vinegar stimulus preference or aversion. In nontaurine-treated rats, 2.0 g/kg ethanol conditioning induced a significant aversion for the vinegar stimulus, while there was no preference after 0.3 g/kg ethanol conditioning. However, in taurine-supplemented rats, the 2.0 g/kg ethanol-induced aversion for the stimulus was decreased significantly, while the rats administered the lower ethanol doses, 0.3 g/kg, in combination with taurine supplementation, demonstrated a significant stimulus preference. Such results suggest that taurine modulates some of the aversive or rewarding effects of ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Biologie du Comportement, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Quertemont
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goffaux
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Vlaminck
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Witte
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D000431:Ethanol; D007267:Injections; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013654:Taurine; D000431:Ethanol