Effects of ethanol on murine aggression assessed by biting of an inanimate target

The effects of acutely administered ethanol (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg, IP) were studied in a tube-restraint/target biting model of "aggressive" responding using naive group- and individually-housed male Swiss mice. Behavioural measures were the latency to the first bite and the biting frequency. In saline-injected control animals, the levels of responding were significantly higher in group-housed than isolated mice. Animals given alcohol exhibited a dose-dependent suppression of biting frequency, and an increase in biting latency. Mice experienced in the tube-testing situation showed reduced baseline levels of biting, but alcohol produced similar effects to those in naive mice. There was no evidence of a biphasic action of alcohol.