Ethanol withdrawal and proclivity are inversely related in rats selectively bred for differential saccharin intake.
Withdrawal severity and voluntary alcohol consumption are inversely related in rats and mice. The present study demonstrated this empirical relation and extended it in two ways. First, the rats were selectively bred for low (LoS) and high (HiS) saccharin intake, a phenotype that correlates positively with ethanol intake and inversely with emotional reactivity. Withdrawal has not yet been studied in these rats. Second, proclivity to consume ethanol was measured as conditioned preference for an ethanol-paired flavor. After 2 weeks of forced exposure to ethanol and a period of abstinence, LoS rats showed elevated acoustic startle; HiS rats did not (Exp. 1). When ethanol- and no-ethanol solutions were available freely during conditioning, both LoS and HiS rats preferred a flavor paired with 4% ethanol, but only HiS rats preferred a flavor paired with 10% ethanol (Exp. 2A); when exposure to the two solutions was controlled, all groups except LoS males preferred flavors paired with 4% or 10% ethanol (Exp. 2B). Thus, as predicted, withdrawal was more severe in the line with less ethanol proclivity (LoS). These results implicate basic associative and affective processes in individual differences in patterns of alcohol use.
Department of Psychology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus Road, Los Angeles, CA 90041, USA. dessnk@oxy.edu
Nancy K
NK
Dess
Patricia
P
O'Neill
Clinton D
CD
Chapman
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004326:Drinking; D004644:Emotions; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D005941:Glucokinase / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D013216:Reflex, Startle; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D012646:Self Administration; D012996:Solutions; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D013649:Taste
D012996:Solutions; D000431:Ethanol; C079344:saccharide kinase; D005941:Glucokinase