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Published on: December 15, 2016
Ethanol preference in Drosophila melanogaster is driven by its caloric value
Jascha B Pohl1, Brett A Baldwin, Boingoc L Dinh
1Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research , Section of Neurobiology, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|May 4, 2012
Summary
Fruit flies prefer ethanol-rich food due to its caloric content, not its intoxicating effects. When alternative food is calorically matched, ethanol preference disappears, indicating nutritive value drives this behavior.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral biology
- Neuroscience
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Understanding animal motivation is complex.
- Drosophila melanogaster's preference for ethanol (EtOH) has been attributed to its food value.
- A recent hypothesis suggests EtOH's pharmacological effects, like in humans, also drive this preference.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the primary drivers behind Drosophila melanogaster's preference for ethanol-rich food.
- To differentiate between nutritive and pharmacological motivations for ethanol consumption in flies.
Main Methods:
- Flies were presented with a choice between ethanol-supplemented and non-ethanol-supplemented liquid food.
- Caloric content was balanced between choices using carbohydrates in some experiments.
- Ethanol levels within flies during preference assays were measured.
Main Results:
- Drosophila melanogaster consistently prefer ethanol-supplemented food.
- Preference for ethanol diminished when alternative food was isocaloric.
- Preference could be reversed by calorically supplementing the alternative food, even without added taste appeal.
- Flies preferred non-ethanol food if it had higher caloric content.
- Ethanol levels in flies remained non-intoxicating (below 4 mM).
Conclusions:
- The preference of Drosophila melanogaster for ethanol-rich food in this assay is driven by its nutritive (caloric) value.
- Pharmacological effects of ethanol do not appear to be the primary motivator for this preference.
