Effects of ethanol sipper and social opportunity on ethanol drinking in rats.
OBJECTIVE
The present study evaluates the effects of pairing ethanol sipper conditioned stimulus (CS) with social opportunity unconditioned stimulus (US) on CS-directed ethanol drinking in rats. Subjects were Long-Evans male rats (n = 32) deprived of neither food nor water, and the concentration of unsweetened ethanol (3 to 16%) in the sipper CS was increased across sessions.


METHODS
Group Paired/Ethanol (n = 12) received the ethanol sipper CS for 10 s immediately prior to 15 s of social opportunity US. Control groups received water rather than ethanol in the sipper CS (Paired/Water), or ethanol sipper CS and US presentations randomly (Random/Ethanol), or ethanol sipper CS but no social opportunity US (Sipper Only).


RESULTS
Mean ethanol intake in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups exceeded 1.0 g/kg when the sipper CS contained 12%, 14% and 16% ethanol, and higher fluid intakes were observed in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups than in the Paired/Water and Sipper Only groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Social opportunity increased ethanol drinking, and more so than water drinking; however, autoshaping did not induce additional ethanol drinking beyond that observed in random controls.
Tomie
Arthur
A
Department of Psychology and Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. tomie@rci.rutgers.edu
Uveges
Jillian M
JM
Burger
Kelly M
KM
Patterson-Buckendahl
Patricia
P
Pohorecky
Larissa A
LA
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012646:Self Administration; D012931:Social Environment
D000431:Ethanol