Evaluation of chronic alcohol self-administration by a 3-bottle choice paradigm in adult male rats. Effects on behavioural reactivity, spatial learning and reference memory.
Chronic ethanol consumption is able to modify emotional behaviour and cognition in humans. In particular, the effects exerted by alcohol may depend on doses, time and modalities of administration. In this study we investigated, in adult male rats, ethanol self-administration and preference patterns using a 3-bottle choice paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on novelty-induced explorative behaviour in the open field, and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morris water maze was also evaluated. Our results indicate that: (i) rats show a higher preference for alcohol, in the first two weeks of the paradigm, displaying a higher consumption of 10% ethanol solution than white wine; in the last two weeks, they reduce their alcoholic preference, drinking the same moderate amounts of the two alcoholic beverages; (ii) at the fourth week of the free-access paradigm rats show a high explorative behaviour in the central squares of the open field and an improvement in spatial information processing in the new-place learning task of the Morris water maze. In conclusion our data suggest that, interestingly, rats exposed to the free-access paradigm were able to self-regulate their alcoholic intake, and indicated that a moderate alcohol consumption was able to induce an increase in behavioural reactivity and an enhancement in spatial learning flexibility.
Department of Pharmacological Sciences P. Benigno, University of Palermo, V. Vespro 129, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Silvana
S
Cacace
Fulvio
F
Plescia
Marco
M
La Barbera
Carla
C
Cannizzaro
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000187:drug effects*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D012646:Self Administration; D014867:Water; D014920:Wine
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol