title: A line of mice selected for high blood ethanol concentrations shows drinking in the dark to intoxication.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many animal models of alcoholism have targeted aspects of excessive alcohol intake (abuse) and dependence. In the rodent, models aimed at increasing alcohol self-administration have used genetic or environmental manipulations, or their combination. Strictly genetic manipulations (e.g., comparison of inbred strains or targeted mutants, selective breeding) have not yielded rat or mouse genotypes that will regularly and voluntarily drink alcohol to the point of intoxication. Although some behavioral manipulations (e.g., scheduling or limiting access to alcohol, adding a sweetener) will induce mice or rats to drink enough alcohol to become intoxicated, these typically require significant food or water restriction or a long time to develop. We report progress toward the development of a new genetic animal model for high levels of alcohol drinking.
  
  
  METHODS
  High Drinking in the Dark (HDID-1) mice have been selectively bred for high blood ethanol concentrations (BEC, ideally exceeding 100 mg%) resulting from the ingestion of a 20% alcohol solution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 11 generations of selection, more than 56% of the population now exceeds this BEC after a 4-hour drinking session in which a single bottle containing 20% ethanol is available. The dose of ethanol consumed also produced quantifiable signs of intoxication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These mice will be useful for mechanistic studies of the biological and genetic contributions to excessive drinking.
authors.affiliation: Portland Alcohol Research Center, Portland, Oregon, USA. crabbe@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Crabbe
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Metten
authors.forename: Justin S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Chia-Hua
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Lauren Lyon
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Tamara J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Deborah A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Finn
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000235:genetics; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D003624:Darkness; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D007178:Inbreeding; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol