Abstract
Rats housed either in activity wheels or in standard cages were placed on a restricted feeding schedule and trained in operant chambers to respond on an FI-40 schedule for sugar-water rewards. When body weights and FI responding were stable, half of the subjects in each housing condition received both water and a 10% beer-ethanol solution ad lib for the next 30 days while the remaining subjects continued to receive water as their sole fluid. Subjects offered alcohol, irrespective of housing condition, drank a mean of 9.9 g/kg/day during the 30 days and showed shifts in the distribution of their responses within the fixed intervals. Reliable changes also occurred in measures of body weight, water intake, and activity for subjects that consumed alcohol.
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This research was supported by Contract DADA 17-73-C-3058 from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. In conducting the research described in this report, the investigators adhered to the “Guide for Laboratory Animal Facilities and Care,” as promulgated by the Committee on Revision of the Guide for Laboratory Animal Facilities and Care of the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Academy of Science-National Research Council.
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McDonough, J.H., Gill, J.H. & Nielson, H.C. Impairment of fixed-interval responding during chronic alcohol drinking in rats. Psychobiology 3, 417–421 (1975). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326852
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03326852