Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that ethanol intake and preference for ethanol-paired flavors are inversely related to the magnitude of hypothermia induced by ethanol. Fluid-deprived rats were given 15-min daily access to 7% ethanol in one of two flavored saccharin solutions. Consumption of one flavored ethanol solution (counterbalanced) was consistently followed by 6-hr placement in a room maintained at 32°C, whereas, consumption of the other flavored ethanol solution was followed by maintenance at room temperature (21°C). Animals experienced less hypothermia when ethanol was followed by exposure to 32°C and eventually drank more of the flavored ethanol that preceded this exposure. Moreover, intermittent two-bottle choice tests revealed development of a preference for the flavor that preceded exposure to 32°C. An "extinction" phase indicated that this preference was not due to association with the thermal environments, but depended on differences in ethanol-induced hypothermia. These results support the conclusion that oral intake of ethanol is modulated by ethanol-induced hypothermia, most likely through a conditioned taste aversion mechanism.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 377-380 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Alcohol |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1989 |
Keywords
- Ambient temperature
- Body temperature
- Conditioned taste aversion
- Ethanol
- Heat
- Hypothermia
- Rats
- Self-administration
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
- Neurology
- Behavioral Neuroscience