Autoshaping induces ethanol drinking in nondeprived rats: evidence of long-term retention but no induction of ethanol preference.
The effects of autoshaping procedures (paired vs. random) and sipper fluid (ethanol vs. water) on sipper-directed drinking were evaluated in male Long-Evans rats maintained with free access to food and water. For the paired/ethanol group (n=16), autoshaping procedures consisted of presenting the ethanol sipper (containing 0% to 28% unsweetened ethanol) conditioned stimulus (CS) followed by the response-independent presentation of food unconditioned stimulus (US). The random/ethanol group (n=8) received the sipper CS and food US randomly with respect to one another. The paired/water group (n=8) received only water in the sipper CS. The paired/ethanol group showed higher grams per kilogram ethanol intake than the random/ethanol group did at ethanol concentrations of 8% to 28%. The paired/ethanol group showed higher sipper CS-directed milliliter fluid consumption than the paired/water group did at ethanol concentrations of 1% to 6%, and 15%, 16%, 18%, and 20%. Following a 42-day retention interval, the paired/ethanol group showed superior retention of CS-directed drinking of 18% ethanol, relative to the random/ethanol group, and superior retention of CS-directed milliliter fluid drinking relative to the paired/water group. When tested for home cage ethanol preference using limited access two-bottle (28% ethanol vs. water) procedures, the paired/ethanol and random/ethanol groups did not differ on any drinking measures.
Tomie
Arthur
A
Center of Alcohol Studies, Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. tomie@rci.rutgers.edu
Kuo
Teresa
T
Apor
Khristine R
KR
Salomon
Kimberly E
KE
Pohorecky
Larissa A
LA
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012153:Retention, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013995:Time
D000431:Ethanol