The Indiana P rats are considered to be a realistic animal model of human alcohol dependence because of the following features: (a) they consume 5–8 g of ethanol/kg/day, achieving a BAC of 50–200 mg% which is equivalent to human consumption of approximately 8–14 standard drinks/day; (b) they have been shown to consume ethanol for its CNS effects and not because of taste, odor or caloric properties and will work to obtain 10–40% V/V ethanol solutions despite free access to food and water; (c) they show increased stimulatory responses to low dose ethanol but lower response to the sedating/motor impairing effects; and (d) they show evidence of alcohol dependence characterized by: metabolic and functional tolerance, withdrawal (increased anxiety and lower seizure threshold) and relapse following prolonged abstinence [25], [26], [30], [31]. The P rat is more anxious than the NP rat, as assessed by three different measures, and responds to the anxiolytic effects of ethanol [54]. Therefore changes in the GABAergic system were expected. P and NP rats differ in their hippocampal theta currents [55] and this may be related in
