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Effects of ethanol sipper and social opportunity on ethanol drinking in rats
Arthur Tomie1, Jillian M Uveges, Kelly M Burger
1Department of Psychology and Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. tomie@rci.rutgers.edu
Aims:
The present study evaluates the effects of pairing ethanol sipper conditioned stimulus (CS) with social opportunity unconditioned stimulus (US) on CS-directed ethanol drinking in rats. Subjects were Long-Evans male rats (n = 32) deprived of neither food nor water, and the concentration of unsweetened ethanol (3 to 16%) in the sipper CS was increased across sessions.
Methods:
Group Paired/Ethanol (n = 12) received the ethanol sipper CS for 10 s immediately prior to 15 s of social opportunity US. Control groups received water rather than ethanol in the sipper CS (Paired/Water), or ethanol sipper CS and US presentations randomly (Random/Ethanol), or ethanol sipper CS but no social opportunity US (Sipper Only).
Results:
Mean ethanol intake in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups exceeded 1.0 g/kg when the sipper CS contained 12%, 14% and 16% ethanol, and higher fluid intakes were observed in the Paired/Ethanol and Random/Ethanol groups than in the Paired/Water and Sipper Only groups.
Conclusions:
Social opportunity increased ethanol drinking, and more so than water drinking; however, autoshaping did not induce additional ethanol drinking beyond that observed in random controls.
