Rodent models of alcoholism: a review

Four criteria should be fulfilled when establishing an animal model of alcoholism. (1) The animal should voluntarily and selectively consume a solution of the drug to yield pharmacologically significant blood alcohol concentrations. When ethanol is consumed for several weeks under these conditions, (2) the animals should exhibit tolerance to the acute effects of the drug. Furthermore, (3) abrupt termination of drug administration should result in physical signs of drug withdrawal (e.g. audiogenic seizures). (4) Changes in endocrine and liver function would also be expected to occur following the chronic administration of alcohol, such effects being particularly pronounced if the diet of the animal is nutritionally deficient. A number of self-administration, operant conditioning and forced alcohol administration models are critically assessed. A detailed description of the models in which rodents are forced to consume increasing quantities of alcohol as part of a nutritionally enriched milk diet suggests that this method fulfils most of the above criteria.