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Updated: Sep 17, 2025
Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
Developing a reverse translational model of low-intensity rTMS in alcohol use disorder: The influence of theta burst
Akriti Dhungana1,2,3, Daniel M McCalley1,2,3, Alesha M Heath1,2,3
1Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Healthcare System, Sierra Pacific Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Palo Alto, CA, United States.
Background:
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is a promising treatment tool for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD). A challenge facing the field is that the optimal TMS parameters to reduce drinking are unknown. There are now rodent TMS coils which can be adapted to evaluate rTMS-induced changes in alcohol consumption in a rapid, cost-effective manner.
Objective:
Develop a preclinical model of rTMS in alcohol consuming rodents and collect pilot data to evaluate the influence rTMS parameters (here, theta burst pattern) on change in alcohol consumption and biochemistry.
Methods:
66 C57BL/6 J mice (32 F) received sham, intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS), or continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS) (14 sessions, 2 sessions/day, low intensity 16mT stimulation). Alcohol consumption and preference were evaluated before and after rTMS using a two-bottle choice, Drinking in the Dark (DID) paradigm. Cortical brain tissue was assayed for BDNF gene expression via qPCR. During DID sessions, control mice (n = 31) were given access to water only.
Results:
Relative to sham, iTBS increased alcohol consumption (d=0.72) and preference (d=0.44), however these results were not statistically significant. Female mice receiving iTBS, experienced a significant, large increase in alcohol consumption (p = 0.02, d=1.5). Among water only mice, iTBS (d=-1.01) and cTBS (d=-1.03) significantly reduced BDNF expression.
Conclusions:
This preclinical model is a feasible method to evaluate rTMS-induced changes in alcohol consumption. This pilot analysis warrants future work evaluating the influence of rTMS parameters and sex on changes in drinking or drug-seeking behaviors.
