Limited-Access Consumption of Ascending Ethanol Concentrations in Alcohol-Preferring, Nonpreferring, and Sprague–Dawley Rats

  1. Margaret P. Martinetti1,
  2. Emily G. Lowery1,
  3. Sally R. Vona2,
  4. Alison M. Wichnick3,
  5. Reid A. Adler4,
  6. Daniel G. Finch5

Article first published online: 12 APR 2006

DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00098.x

Issue

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research

Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research

Volume 30, Issue 5, pages 836–843, May 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

Martinetti, M. P., Lowery, E. G., Vona, S. R., Wichnick, A. M., Adler, R. A. and Finch, D. G. (2006), Limited-Access Consumption of Ascending Ethanol Concentrations in Alcohol-Preferring, Nonpreferring, and Sprague–Dawley Rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 30: 836–843. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00098.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey

  2. 2

    Department of Psychology, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania

  3. 3

    Department of Psychology, City University of New York, Flushing, New York

  4. 4

    Department of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

  5. 5

    University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey (DGF).

*Reprint requests: Margaret P. Martinetti, PhD, Department of Psychology, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718, 2000 Pennington Road, Ewing, NJ 08628-0718; Fax: 609-637-5178; E-mail: martinet@tcnj.edu

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 12 APR 2006
  2. Article first published online: 12 APR 2006
  3. Received for publication July 27, 2005; accepted January 13, 2006.

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Keywords:

  • 2-Bottle Choice;
  • Limited Access;
  • Genetic Animal Model;
  • Ethanol Oral Self-administration;
  • Concentration

Background: Ethanol intake and preference differences between the selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats have generally been studied in a continuous-access paradigm using 10% ethanol. Little is known about the consumption of lower concentrations of ethanol in these lines or consumption of a wide range of ethanol concentrations in limited-access paradigms. Recently, limited-access paradigms have been used to study the biological and pharmacological mechanisms of ethanol consumption in animal models. Such research would be informed by studies investigating ethanol oral self-administration within a limited-access context. Therefore, the current study addressed P, NP, and Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats' consumption of a wide range of ethanol concentrations in a 2-bottle-choice, limited-access procedure.

Methods: Male P, NP, and SD rats were given concurrent access to water and ethanol solutions for 1 h/d, 7 d/wk. Ethanol solutions were presented in an ascending series ranging from 0.01 to 20% (v/v) over 55 days. Ethanol intakes (g/kg), volumes of solutions consumed (mL/kg), and preference ratios were assessed for each rat line at each concentration.

Results: Clear differences among the 3 types of rats emerged at an ethanol concentration of 4%, although differences between P and NP rats emerged at concentrations as low as 1.8%. Alcohol-preferring rats almost exclusively preferred ethanol solutions over water at ethanol concentrations of 4% and above, whereas SD and NP rats' preference ratios were more variable.

Conclusions: The results suggest that differences between P and NP rats exist at ethanol concentrations lower than those previously studied in continuous-access paradigms. They also provide a current description of the ranges of ethanol concentrations preferred by P, NP, and SD rats.

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