Impairment of shuttlebox avoidance learning following repeated alcohol withdrawal episodes in rats

Rats were reduced to 70% of their free-feeding body-weights and then randomly assigned to one of three groups. An Alcohol Withdrawal group was placed on a liquid diet consisting of alcohol plus Austagen for four 5-day periods interspersed with three 2-day periods of a liquid diet containing sucrose plus Sustagen. A Continuous Alcohol group received the alcohol diet for 20 days, followed by six days on the sucrose diet. A Sucrose Control group received diet only and was pair-fed the amounts consumed by the Alcohol Withdrawal group. Thirty days after the diets were discontinued the rats were given 60 trials on a shuttlebox avoidance task. The results showed that the Alcohol Withdrawal group was impaired in shuttlebox avoidance when compared to the Continuous Alcohol group and Sucrose Control group.