CONDITIONED TASTE-AVERSIONS INDUCED BY ALCOHOL AND LITHIUM IN RATS SELECTIVELY BRED FOR ETHANOL NEUROSENSITIVITY

Rats that were selectively bred for differences in alcohol-induced sle ep time (alcohol neurosensitivity) were tested for differences in form ation and extinction of alcohol- and LiCl-induced conditioned taste av ersions. Male rats bred for high, control, or low alcohol sensitivity (HAS, GAS, and LAS rats, respectively) were deprived of water and give n daily 30 min access to water for a baseline period of 7 days. Rats w ere then given a novel 0.125% sodium saccharin solution, followed by a n intraperitoneal injection of either saline, 2 g/kg of ethanol (at 10 % w/v), or 50.9 mg/kg of LiCl (0.15 M) on 3 conditioning days. Each sa ccharin exposure was followed by a recovery day of access to water. Th e ethanol-induced saccharin aversion extinguished more rapidly in LAS rats than in CAS or HAS rats (p < 0.05), but LiCl conditioned equivale nt aversions in each group. Also, ethanol injection results in large d ifferences in observed resting behavior in these rats (HAS > CAS > LAS ), but LiCl injection produced no reliable group differences in restin g. The weaker alcohol-induced taste aversion in LAS rats accords with their previously measured higher oral consumption of alcohol (Kulkosky et al., Alcoholism 17: 545-551, 1993) and the idea that alcohol intak e is limited by an expectancy of postingestive consequences. The weake r ethanol-induced aversion in LAS rats reflects selective breeding of an alcohol-specific trait and not a general difference in aversive con ditioning or chemical neurosensitivity.