title: A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster.
abstract: We describe a protocol for measuring ethanol self-administration in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a proxy for changes in reward states. We demonstrate a simple way to tap into the fly reward system, modify experiences related to natural reward, and use voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure for changes in reward states. The approach serves as a relevant tool to study the neurons and genes that play a role in experience-mediated changes of internal state. The protocol is composed of two discrete parts: exposing the flies to rewarding and nonrewarding experiences, and assaying voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure of the motivation to obtain a drug reward. The two parts can be used independently to induce the modulation of experience as an initial step for further downstream assays or as an independent two-choice feeding assay, respectively. The protocol does not require a complicated setup and can therefore be applied in any laboratory with basic fly culture tools.
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University.
authors.forename: Shir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zer
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ryvkin
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University.
authors.forename: Harel J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Wilner
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University.
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zak
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University.
authors.forename: Anat
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shmueli
authors.affiliation: The Mina & Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, The Leslie and Susan Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University; galit.ophir@biu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Galit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shohat-Ophir
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012201:Reward; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D000431:Ethanol