Preference/avoidance for flavoured solutions signalling presence/ absence of ethanol and alcohol deprivation effect using a voluntary-consumption paradigm in rats

ORELLANA E; LESTA LG; ABATE P; GONZALEZ F

Jaén

Congreso; XXIVth International Congress of the Spanish Society for Comparative Psychology XVIth Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Comparative Psychology; 2012

Universidad de Jaén, International Society for Comparative Psychology

A group of male rats (PN28) with ad lib access to food and water was exposed on alternated days to two flavoured solutions sweetened with saccharine. One of them was paired with an ethanol solution (CS+) whereas the other not (CS-). Ethanol (Et) concentration increased progressively from 2.5% to 10%, whereas saccharine concentration was progressively reduced from 0.6% to 0.1%. The amount of EC- provided was yoked to the consumption of Et+CS+; however, animals did not consume all the solution, showing CS- avoidance. Preference for the CS+ over water was also significantly higher than that for the CS- during training. Moreover, consumption of the Et+CS+ solution, but not of the CS-, increased after a brief period without exposure to ethanol. This result suggests an alcohol deprivation effect, usually considered as an index of abstinence development. Nevertheless evidence for preference for the CS+ over the CS- was inconclusive in a first set of tests; therefore the concentration of the CSs flavours was increased to compensate for possible generalization decrement. The results are discussed in terms of the pharmacological and calorific effects of ethanol. Funding: PSI2009-10627 (MICINN, Spain); 05/P120 (SECyT-UNC, Argentina) & PIP 0923 (CONICET, Argentina).