TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK - OPEN-FIELD BEHAVIOR IN ALCOHOL-PREFERRING AND ALCOHOL-NONPREFERRING RAT STRAINS

High open field activity has been associated with high alcohol intake in inbred mouse strains. The present study sought to determine if a si milar relationship might exist in rats. Strains which voluntarily drin k large amounts of alcohol (alcohol-preferring [P], alcohol-accepting [AA], Fawn-Hooded [FH]) or little or no alcohol (alcohol-nonpreferring [NP], alcohol-nonaccepting [ANA], Flinders Resistant Line [FRL]) were compared with the Maudsley strains of rats selectively bred for diffe rences in open field defecation and activity. There were highly signif icant strain differences in open field activity, with the alcohol-pref erring P rats exhibiting the highest activity and the alcohol-nonprefe rring Maudsley Reactive rats exhibiting the lowest. However, the NP ra ts were almost as active as the P rats and the AA and ANA rats exhibit ed intermediate levels of activity which did not differ from each othe r. Thus, there was no consistent relationship between open field activ ity and high voluntary alcohol intake. Defecation was highest in the M audsley Reactive rats, and there was a consistent negative relationshi p with alcohol intake (r = -0.455 across all strains). In a population of 57 FHxFRL F2 hybrids, there were no significant correlations betwe en alcohol intake and open field activity (r = -0.01) or defecation (r = +0.12). We conclude, therefore, that there was no consistent relati onship between voluntary alcohol intake and open field behavior across strains of rats.