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Sucrose self-administration predicts only initial phase of ethanol-reinforced behaviour in Wistar rats
Artur Rogowski1, Wojciech Kostowski, Przemyslaw Bienkowski
1Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Sobieskiego 9 St., PL-02957 Warsaw, Poland.
Aims:
To characterize the relationship between the sucrose- and ethanol-reinforced behaviour in Wistar rats.
Methods:
Subjects (n = 31) were trained to lever press for 8% (v/v) ethanol in an operant procedure where increasing concentrations of ethanol were introduced in the presence of 8% (w/v) sucrose. The sucrose concentration was subsequently decreased from 8 to 0%. Subjects were allowed to stabilize their intake of 8% ethanol over the next 20 days.
Results:
Self-administration of 8% sucrose (ml/kg) significantly correlated with ethanol consumption (g/kg) on days 1-5 of the 8% ethanol self-administration period. This relationship completely disappeared during the subsequent weeks of ethanol self-administration (days 6-20).
Conclusions:
The results of the present study, combined with our previous findings, may indicate that self-administration of sucrose predicts only the initial phase of ethanol-taking behaviour in Wistar rats.