Ethanol sensitivity in high drinking in the dark selectively bred mice.
BACKGROUND
Mouse lines are being selectively bred in replicate for high blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) achieved after a short period of ethanol (EtOH) drinking early in the circadian dark phase. High Drinking in the Dark-1 (HDID-1) mice were in selected generation S18, and the replicate HDID-2 line in generation S11.


METHODS
To determine other traits genetically correlated with high DID, we compared naïve animals from both lines with the unselected, segregating progenitor stock, HS/Npt. Differences between HDID-1 and HS would imply commonality of genetic influences on DID and these traits.


RESULTS
HDID-1 mice showed less basal activity, greater EtOH stimulated activity, and greater sensitivity to EtOH-induced foot slips than HS. They showed lesser sensitivity to acute EtOH hypothermia and longer duration loss of righting reflex than HS. HDID-1 and control HS lines did not differ in sensitivity on 2 measures of intoxication, the balance beam and the accelerating rotarod. None of the acute response results could be explained by differences in EtOH metabolism. HDID-2 differed from HS on some, but not all, of the above responses.


CONCLUSIONS
These results show that some EtOH responses share common genetic control with reaching high BECs after DID, a finding consistent with other data regarding genetic contributions to EtOH responses.
Portland Alcohol Research Center, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, and VA Medical Center, Portland, OR 97239, USA. crabbe@ohsu.edu
John C
JC
Crabbe
Lauren C
LC
Kruse
Alexandre M
AM
Colville
Andy J
AJ
Cameron
Stephanie E
SE
Spence
Jason P
JP
Schlumbohm
Lawrence C
LC
Huang
Pamela
P
Metten
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D057897:Reflex, Righting / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
D000431:Ethanol