Initial sensitivity, acute tolerance and alcohol consumption in Fischer 344 and Long Evans rats

In separate groups of Fischer 344 and Long Evans rats, initial sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol were determined in a jumping test. Sensitivity measurements in each strain were carried out in separate subgroups at ethanol doses of 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 g/kg IP. Similarly, acute tolerance was measured in different subgroups of each strain using the method of two successive doses of ethanol (2 + 0.4 g/kg; 2 + 0.7 g/kg and 2 + 1.0 g/kg, respectively). After completion of sensitivity and acute tolerance measurement, acute tolerance was then tested in all rats. Based on their acute tolerance values, they were divided into three groups: high, medium, and low. Two weeks after the last acute tolerance test, six rats from each group (i.e., the six highest and six lowest from the high and low acute tolerance groups, respectively, and six from the mid-range of the medium tolerance group) were tested for voluntary ethanol drinking in the limited access model. Long Evans rats had lower initial CNS sensitivity to ethanol-induced impairment of jumping performance than Fischer 344 rats. Long Evans rats also drank significantly more alcohol than the Fischer 344 but there was no significant difference in acute tolerance development between these two strains. Moreover, within each strain the rats differing in acute tolerance development (i.e., high, medium, and low) showed no difference in alcohol consumption. These results suggest that acute tolerance development is not the main determinant of differences in ethanol drinking.