Sham intake of ethanol in "P" rats

Alcohol-preferring (P) rats were surgically fitted with gastric fistulas, and intakes of 10% ethanol solution were measured in 1-h sessions either with the fistula closed (normal drinking) or open (sham drinking). In water-replete P rats in which ethanol access was limited to 1 h/day, no increase in intake was noted in the sham compared with normal drinking tests in the day. A small increase was seen when the sham drinking test was conducted at night. In water-deprived P rats, sham intake of ethanol was elevated over intakes in closed fistula trials. However, in comparison with water intake on separate test days, sham intake of ethanol by P rats was lower and satiated after 15-30 min. The absence of robust sham alcohol drinking in P rats is similar to what we have previously reported in normal Sprague-Dawley rats, suggesting that preabsorptive factors alone do not account for the strain differences in ethanol preference.