Previous studies using Drosophila to model alcohol-related behaviors have concentrated either on the acute locomotor stimulatory and sedative effects of ethanol, or preference for low concentrations of alcohol3. Our work shows that flies develop long-lasting preference for an intoxication-associated cue, and that ethanol is rewarding due to its pharmacological properties. This strengthens a previous study showing that flies will develop preference for ethanol consumption even in the presence of an aversive tastant26. In addition, because the concentrations of ethanol required for conditioned preference to form are considerably higher than what Drosophila would encounter in nature, it is unlikely that our assay measures an innate adaptive attraction to ethanol that is specific to fruit flies.
