AA rats develop and display greater functional tolerance to the motor-impairing, hypothermic and hypnotic effects of ethanol than ANA rats after repeated ethanol injections (Lê and Kiianmaa, 1988). In addition, the AA rat displays a modest ADE following short deprivation periods (Sinclair and Li, 1989) and display pharmacologically relevant BACs during ethanol self-administration (Aalto, 1986). AA rats are less affected by ethanol than ANA rats as it pertains to ethanol’s hypnotic and ataxic effects (Nikander and Pekkanen, 1977; Rusi et al., 1977). Also, AA rats display locomotor activation after limited access to ethanol suggesting AA rats find ethanol rewarding (Paivarinta and Korpi, 1993). In general, the AA line satisfies many of the criteria for an animal model of alcoholism.
