Differential Rearing Conditions and Alcohol-Preferring Rats: Consumption of and Operant Responding for Ethanol

• Published in: Behavioral neuroscience 2011-04, Vol.125 (2), p.184-193
• Main Authors: DEEHAN, Gerald A, PALMATIER, Matthew I, CAIN, Mary E, KIEFER, Stephen W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alcohol Drinking - genetics; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcohol use; Alcoholism - genetics; Alcoholism - psychology; Animal; Animal behavior; Animal Environments; Animal Parental Behavior; Animals; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Conditioning, Operant - physiology; Ethanol; Ethanol - administration & dosage; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Male; Operant Conditioning; Preferences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Rats; Rodents; Self Administration; Social Environment; Studies; Weaning
• ISSN: 0735-7044; 1939-0084
• DOI: 10.1037/a0022627

Exposing rats to differential rearing conditions during early postweaning development has been shown to produce changes in a number of behaviors displayed during adulthood. The purpose of the present studies was to investigate whether rearing alcohol-preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats in an environmental enrichment condition (EC), a social condition (SC), or an impoverished condition (IC) would differentially affect self-administration of 10% ethanol. In Experiment 1, rats were tested for consumption of 10% ethanol in limited- and free-access tests. For Experiment 2, rats were trained to respond in an operant chamber for ethanol and then provided concurrent access to 10% ethanol and water. Each solution was presented in a separate liquid dipper after meeting the schedule of reinforcement on distinct levers. After concurrent access tests, the water lever/dipper was inactivated and a progressive ratio (PR) schedule was initiated. Three successive solutions (10% ethanol, 15% ethanol, and 10% sucrose) were tested under the PR. For P rats, rearing in an EC reduced ethanol consumption, preference, and motivation to obtain ethanol, relative to P rats reared in an IC. Thus, exposure to a novel environment immediately after weaning acted to decrease the reinforcing properties of ethanol in an animal model for alcoholism.