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Updated: Jul 1, 2026
Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
Schedule-induced polydipsia in lines of rats selectively bred for high and low ethanol preference
N W Gilpin1, N E Badia-Elder, R L Elder
1Department of Psychology, Program in Psychobiology of Addictions, Purdue School of Science, Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. nickg@scripps.edu
Abstract:
Ethanol drinking was assessed in the P/NP, HAD1/LAD1, and HAD2/LAD2 lines of rats under environmental conditions that produce schedule-induced polydipsia. Female rats (n = 8/line), maintained at 85% of free-feeding body weights, underwent daily 1-h sessions during which 45-mg food pellets were delivered every 60 s. Water, 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32% w/v ethanol solution was available from a single bottle for 8 consecutive sessions at each concentration, with blood-ethanol levels (BELs) determined after selected sessions. P and HAD2 rats drank more water and ethanol than their non-preferring counterparts, while HAD1 and LAD1 rats did not differ. Ethanol intake and BELs were positively correlated (r = 0.75) across lines. Finally, rats were allowed 14 daily choice sessions with 8% ethanol and water concurrently available. Water intake generally exceeded ethanol intake in all lines, while P rats drank similar amounts of both fluids. These line differences indicate pleiotropic effects of genes that mediate ethanol intake and schedule-induced behaviors.
