Skip to main content
Log in

Reluctance of rats to drink hashish suspensions: Free-choice and forced consumption, and the effects of hypothalamic stimulation

  • Published:
Psychopharmacologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

For over 30 days male Wistar rats drank a concentrated aqueous suspension of hashish in the absence of alternative fluids, but they rejected the drug when water was also made available. In another experiment rats given a choice between water and varying concentrations of hashish also rejected concentrated suspensions, but they appeared less reluctant to drink dilute concentrations. Neither a schedule of alternate-day presentation of hashish nor forced electrical stimulation of lateral hypothalamus induced rats to increase their home-cage intake of an aversive concentration of hashish, suggesting that the enhanced consumption of concentrated ethanol solutions obtained with these two procedures is not due to a nonspecific tendency to ingest any drug offered. Thus rats are generally reluctant to self-administer hashish via the oral route, and their reluctance is not affected by several procedures which can increase their intake of other drugs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amit, Z.: Alcohol addiction in the laboratory rat induced by electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, McGill University 1970

  • Amit, Z., Cohen, J.: The effects of hypothalamic stimulation on oral ingestion of diazepam in rats. Behav. Biol. (in press) (1974)

  • Amit, Z., Corcoran, M. E., Charness, M. E., Shizgal, P.: Intake of diazepam and hashish by alcohol preferring rats deprived of alcohol. Physiol. Behav. 10, 523–527 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Amit, Z., Stern, M. H.: Alcohol ingestion without oropharyngeal sensation. Psychon. Sci. 15, 162–163 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Amit, Z., Stern, M. H.: A further investigation of alcohol preference in the laboratory rat induced by hypothalamic stimulation. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 21, 317–327 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Amit, Z., Stern, M. H.: Electrochemical interaction in the medial forebrain bundle and alcohol preference in rats. In: Biological aspects of alcohol consumption. O. Forsander and H. Wallgren, Eds. Helsinki: Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies 1972

    Google Scholar 

  • Amit, Z., Stern, M. H., Wise, R. A.: Alcohol preference in the laboratory rat induced by hypothalamic stimulation. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 17, 367–377 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Barry, III, H., Perhach, J. L., Kubena, R. K.: Delta 1-tetrahydrocannabinol activation of pituitary-adrenal function. Pharmacologist 12, 327 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Christopher, S. M., Butter, C. M.: Consummatory behaviors and locomotor exploration from self-stimulation sites in rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 66, 335–339 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicero, T. J., Myers, R. D.: Selection of a single ethanol test solution in free-choice studies in animals. Quart. J. Stud. Alcohol 29, 446–448 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Cicero, T. J., Snider, S. R., Perez, V. J., Swanson, L. W.: Physical dependence on and tolerance to alcohol in the rat. Physiol. Behav. 6, 191–198 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Corcoran, M. E.: Role of drug novelty and metabolism in the aversive effects of hashish injections in rats. Life Sci. 12, 63–72 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Elsmore, T. F., Fletcher, G. V.: Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol: aversive effects in rats at high doses. Science 175, 911–912 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Essig, C. F.: Increased water consumption following drinking of alcohol in rats. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 12, 333–337 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Farnsworth, N. R.: Hallucinogenic plants. Science 162, 1086–1092 (1968)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, M., Stellar, E.: Alcohol preference in normal and anosmic rats. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 53, 571–575 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Khavari, K. A., Risner, M. E.: Establishment of morphine preference in the rat. Psychon. Sci. 26, 141–142 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleinman, M. K., Schmidt, H., Stewart, A.: Effect of prior injection upon the subsequent drinking of phenobarbital in the rat. J. comp. physiol. Psychol. 61, 402–405 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mechoulam, R.: Marihuana chemistry. Science 168, 1159–1166 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, R. D.: Voluntary alcohol consumption in animals: peripheral and intracerebral factors. Psychosom. Med. 28, 484–497 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, R. D., Carey, R.: Preference factors in experimental alcoholism. Science 134, 469–470 (1961)

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, C. P.: Production and control of alcoholic cravings in rats. In: Neuropharmacology. H. A. Abramson, Ed. New York: Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation 1956

    Google Scholar 

  • Richter, C. P., Campbell, H. K.: Alcohol taste thresholds and concentrations of solutions preferred by rats. Science 91, 507–508 (1940)

    Google Scholar 

  • Schuster, C. R., Thompson, T.: Self-administration of and behavioral dependence on drugs. Ann. Rev. Pharmacol. 9, 483–502 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolerman, I. P., Kumar, R.: Preferences for morphine in rats: validation of an experimental model of dependence. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 17, 137–150 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Stolerman, I. P., Kumar, R., Steinberg, H.: Development of morphine dependence in rats: lack of effect of previous ingestion of other drugs. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 20, 321–347 (1971)

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, N.: The pleasant assassin: the story of marihuana. In: The marihuana papers. D. Solomon, Ed. New York: New American Library 1966

    Google Scholar 

  • Veale, W. L., Myers, R. D.: Increased alcohol preference in rats following repeated exposure to alcohol. Psychopharmacologia (Berl.) 15, 361–372 (1969)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wayner, M. J., Greenberg, I., Tartaglione, R., Nolley, D., Fraley, S., Cott, A.: A new factor affecting the consumption of ethyl alcohol and other sapid fluids. Physiol. Behav. 8, 345–362 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Corcoran, M.E., Amit, Z. Reluctance of rats to drink hashish suspensions: Free-choice and forced consumption, and the effects of hypothalamic stimulation. Psychopharmacologia 35, 129–147 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429580

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00429580

Key words

Navigation