Wistar rats choose alcohol over social interaction in a discrete-choice model

Abstract

Animal models of substance use disorders have been criticized for their limited translation. One important factor behind seeking and taking that has so far been largely overlooked is the availability of alternative non-drug rewards. We recently reported that only about 15% of outbred Wistar rats will choose alcohol over a sweet solution of saccharin. It was also shown using a novel operant model of choice of drugs over social rewards that social interaction consistently attenuates self-administration and incubation of craving for stimulants and opioids. Whether this is also true for alcohol and choice of alcohol over a sweet reward translates to social rewards is currently unknown. We therefore evaluated choice between alcohol and a social reward in different experimental settings in both male and female Wistar rats. We found, in contrast to prior work that employed discrete choice of drugs vs. social reward, that rats almost exclusively prefer alcohol over social interaction, irrespective of the nature of the social partner (cagemate vs. novel rat), the length of interaction, housing conditions and sex. Alcohol choice was reduced when the response requirement for alcohol was increased. However, rats persisted in choosing alcohol, even when the effort required to obtain it was 10–16 times higher (for females and males respectively) than the one for the social reward. Altogether, these results indicate that the social choice model may not generalize to alcohol, pointing to the possibility that specific interactions between alcohol and social reward, not seen when a sweet solution is used as an alternative to the drug, may play a crucial role in alcohol vs. social choice experiments.

FGF21 deletion mildly exacerbates hepatic dysfunction in MASH diet and alcohol fed rats

“…Again, why endogenous FGF21 does not regulate drinking in the rat is unclear. There are strain-specific differences in alcohol intake, and susceptibility to 'addiction' but the Wistar rat, which we used as background, is commonly used due to their high alcohol preference and will choose alcohol over social interaction [28]. Importantly, the Wistar strain is also the most susceptible to MASH [29] and thus represents the best background strain to investigate the role of FGF21 in rats.…”

Social Context and Drug Cues Modulate Inhibitory Control in Cocaine Addiction: involvement of the STN evidenced through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…Cocaine addiction, like most other addictions, takes place in a social environment that may influence drug use (1). Although this influence has long been suggested by social science studies (2)(3)(4), it is only recently that neurobiological studies have started to consider the role of social factors such as the others' presence, either as an alternative reward to substances of abuse (5)(6)(7) or as a constant part of the consumption social environment (8,9). Importantly, social factors may have opposite effects on drug-taking depending on the drug used such as psychostimulants (cocaine) or depressant (alcohol), but also depending on the experimental conditions.…”

“…Cocaine addiction, like most other addictions, takes place in a social environment that may influence drug use (1). Although this influence has long been suggested by social science studies (2–4), it is only recently that neurobiological studies have started to consider the role of social factors such as the others’ presence, either as an alternative reward to substances of abuse (5–7) or as a constant part of the consumption social environment (8,9).…”

Molecular fingerprints in the hippocampus of alcohol seeking during withdrawal

“…So far most of the molecular studies focused on the quantitative aspects of alcohol misuse [5]-several candidate genes and molecular pathways that affect the amounts of consumed alcohol both in humans and animals have been identified [6][7][8][9]. Moreover, in recent years an accumulating number of studies focus on the biology of complex alcohol-related behaviors, such as compulsivity [10][11][12][13][14], cognitive inflexibility [15], or choice between alcohol and natural rewards [16][17][18]. Still, the molecular processes that affect behavioral hallmarks of AUD beyond alcohol consumption remain poorly understood.…”