Long-term exposure to a sweetened alcoholic solution does not alter genetic aversion to ethanol in Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats

Brunetti, Giuliana; Serra, Salvatore; Vacca, Giovanni; Lobina, Carla; Curreli, Tiziana; Carai, Mauro A.M.; Colombo, Giancarlo; Gessa, Gian Luigi

doi:10.1016/S0741-8329(03)00038-7

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Volume 30, Issue 1 , Pages 29-34, May 2003

Long-term exposure to a sweetened alcoholic solution does not alter genetic aversion to ethanol in Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats

Giuliana Brunetti
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Salvatore Serra
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Giovanni Vacca
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Carla Lobina
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Tiziana Curreli
- “Bernard. B. Brodie” Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Mauro A.M. Carai
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- “Bernard. B. Brodie” Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
Giancarlo Colombo
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
- Corresponding author. C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, c/o “Bernard B. Brodie” Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, S.S. 554, km. 4.5, I-09042 Monserrato (CA) Italy. Tel.: 070-675-4325; fax: 070-675-4320
Gian Luigi Gessa
- Neuroscienze S.c.a r.l., I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
- C.N.R. Institute of Neurogenetics and Neuropharmacology, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy
- “Bernard. B. Brodie” Department of Neuroscience, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato Cagliari, Italy

Received 25 November 2002; received in revised form 3 March 2003; accepted 17 March 2003.

Editor: S. Borg

Abstract

Results of a recent investigation revealed that selectively bred Indiana ethanol-nonpreferring (NP) rats could be “environmentally” conditioned to consume high amounts of ethanol. Specifically, a long-term exposure to a sucrose-plus-ethanol solution resulted, when sucrose was faded out, in an ethanol intake that was equivalent to that recorded in the counterpart ethanol-preferring (P) rats. The current study was designed to extend the above investigation to the selectively bred Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats. To this aim, rats of the sNP and Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) lines were exposed to a 108-day sucrose-fading procedure, which was virtually identical to that previously used with NP and P rats. Results indicated that intake of the sucrose-plus-ethanol solution in sNP rats was maintained predominantly by sucrose, as negligible intakes of ethanol were observed when sucrose was faded out. In contrast, sP rats maintained high levels of ethanol intake both during and after the induction procedure. These results support the suggestion that an environmental manipulation such as a long-term exposure to a sucrose-fading procedure did not overcome the genetically determined predisposition to avoid ethanol in sNP rats.

Keywords: Environmental manipulation of ethanol intake, Sucrose-fading procedure, Genetic predisposition to avoid ethanol, Sardinian alcohol-nonpreferring (sNP) rats and Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) rats