Long-lasting, experience-dependent alcohol preference in Drosophila.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Understanding alcohol addiction requires robust model systems.
• Existing Drosophila melanogaster models for alcohol addiction are labor-intensive and low-throughput.
• There is a need for efficient methods to study the development of alcohol preference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, high-throughput assay for measuring ethanol consumption preference in individual Drosophila melanogaster.
• To establish an experience-dependent model of alcohol preference in fruit flies that recapitulates features of human alcohol abuse.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Fast, high-throughput Reporter Assay for Preference and Consumption of Ethanol (FRAPPÉ) using a fluorescence plate reader.
• Assessing ethanol consumption preference in naive and pre-exposed fruit flies.
• Evaluating the long-lasting nature and caloric independence of ethanol preference.

Main Results:

• The FRAPPÉ assay enables fast, high-throughput measurement of ethanol consumption in individual flies.
• Naïve fruit flies do not exhibit ethanol preference.
• Pre-exposure to ethanol (vapor or consumption) induces a long-lasting ethanol preference, independent of caloric content.

Conclusions:

• The FRAPPÉ assay provides a powerful, high-throughput tool for studying ethanol preference in Drosophila melanogaster.
• This novel, experience-dependent model recapitulates key aspects of human alcohol addiction.
• The model will accelerate molecular investigations into the development of alcohol preference.