SEX-DIFFERENCES IN ALCOHOL PREFERENCE AND DRINKING PATTERNS EMERGE DURING THE EARLY POSTPUBERTAL PERIOD IN SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS

Young male and female Sprague-Dawley rats (30 days old) were assigned randomly to three treatment groups: (1) alcohol treatment-received bee r with 5% ethanol added, food, and water ad libitum; (2) pair-fed trea tment-received nonalcoholic beer plus sucrose and food to match intake by the alcohol-treated animals; and (3) control treatment-received fo od and water ad libitum. Animals were tested for alcohol preference fo r 24 hr and then received their assigned treatments for a period of 30 days, followed by a period of abstinence before alcohol preference te sting again at 74 days of age. Males given free access to beer and wat er did not drink large quantities of beer. Females given free access t o beer and water drank a lot of beer on the first day, but decreased i ntake until similar to 52 days of age. A developmental change in young female rats at similar to 52 days of age resulted in increased volunt ary ethanol intake, possibly caused by hormonal changes associated wit h the establishment of estrous cycles. When the animals were tested fo r alcohol preference at 74 days of age after a period of abstinence, m ales and females in the pair-fed group had greater alcohol preference than animals in the other groups. Females in the pair-fed group had gr eater alcohol intake based on body weight than males in the pair-fed g roup and males and females in all other groups. These results provide insight into sex differences in the development of voluntary drinking behavior and responses of drinking behavior to the early stress of pai r-feeding.