Ethanol Consumption and Place-Preference Conditioning in the Alcohol-Preferring C57BL/6 Mouse

Central Nervous System Mechanisms in Alcohol Relapse

“…Of relevance to this symposium, the results of these studies indicate that (1) both ethanol and ethanolconditioned stimuli are rewarding for B6 mice; (2) chronic ethanol consumption alters its acute effects, which suggests the development of tolerance; (3) abstinence after chronic ethanol consumption increases its reinforcing value and its consumption; and (4) naltrexone, the most widely used pharmacotherapy for alcoholism, can attenuate the rewarding effects of both ethanol and ethanol-conditioned stimuli in the model (Middaugh and Bandy, 2000;Middaugh et al, 1999aMiddaugh et al, ,b, 2000aNocjar et al, 1999).…”

Ethanol Reinforcement in Nondeprived Mice: Effects of Abstinence and Naltrexone

“…Williams and Woods, 1998), non-food-deprived B6 mice lever responded for ethanol solutions delivered on various ratio schedules of reinforcement during periods of limited access. Although B6 mice in general consume large amounts of 10% to 12% ethanol provided continuously in their home cage (Belknap et al, 1993;Dole and Gentry, 1984;Dole et al, 1985;Middaugh et al, 1999a;Nocjar et al, 1999;Phillips et al,1997), the addition of 16% sucrose to the ethanol solution (experiment 1) facilitated its consumption in the home cage and also facilitated the acquisition of lever responding for ethanol reward. Procedures commonly used to initiate lever responding for ethanol in rats such as saccharin fading (Schulteis et al, 1996) and sucrose fading (Samson, 1986;Samson et al, 1989) effectively initiated lever responding for ethanol by B6 mice.…”