Sw. Kiefer et al., TASTE REACTIVITY IN HIGH ALCOHOL-DRINKING AND LOW ALCOHOL-DRINKING RATS, Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research, 19(2), 1995, pp. 279-284
High alcohol drinking (HAD) and low alcohol drinking (LAD) rats were t
ested, in three exposures, for taste reactivity to five concentrations
of alcohol (5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, v/v), water, and one concentr
ation each of sucrose and quinine. Of the three reactivity exposures,
one was done before a 3-week period of continuous access to water and
10% alcohol, the second test was done immediately after the consumptio
n period, and the final reactivity test was done after 1 month of alco
hol abstinence. The results showed that the groups did not differ in r
eactivity on the initial test, After the consumption tests (when the H
AD rats consumed significantly more alcohol than the LAD rats), differ
ences in reactivity were found: HAD rats produced significantly more i
ngestive responses (which promote consumption) and significantly fewer
aversive responses (which facilitate fluid rejection) than LAD rats.
These differences were maintained even after 1 month of alcohol abstin
ence. The present data replicate an earlier experiment with alcohol-pr
eferring (P) rats and alcohol-nonpreferring (NP) rats, and indicate th
at the selective breeding process does not produce differences in the
innate perception of the taste of alcohol. However, after experience w
ith drinking alcohol, rats selectively bred for high alcohol consumpti
on exhibit a palatability shift reflected by high ingestive responding
and little or no aversive responding. Such a shift would clearly cont
ribute to the maintenance of high levels of alcohol consumption.