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Monday, March 26, 2007


Ethanol Intake in the Juvenile, Adolescent, and Adult Rat: Effects of Age and Prior Exposure to Ethanol



Initial ingestion of ethanol by naïve rats has seemed to decrease dramatically with age. During the preweanling period, infant rats consume large quantities of high concentrations of ethanol without initiating procedures, in some instances exceeding doses required for severe motor incoordination. During adulthood, however, initial ingestion of ethanol without initiation procedures is low and infrequent.

Using the consume off the floor technique with blood ethanol concentrations as an estimate of intake, absolute ethanol consumption seems to be quite high early in ontogeny and decline gradually into adulthood.

Adding saccharin to ethanol solutions at the concentration used in the present study (0.1%) was generally not sufficient to increase absolute ethanol intake from the floor, except during adulthood.

The experimental strategy employed in this study represents a novel approach for examining ethanol acceptance patterns across ontogeny and how experience with the process of intoxication affects subsequent ethanol preferences.

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