Although eRING and ethanol sedation assays both measure impaired motor/postural function in the continuous presence of ethanol vapor (Figure S1) and similar internal ethanol concentrations are required to cause impairment in both assays (100–150 mM; Figure 2E, 2F, 3E, 3F, and 4C for ethanol sedation and (Bhandari et al., 2012; Bhandari et al., 2009) for eRING), there are fundamental operational differences between the two behavioral paradigms (Figure S1) that could explain the strikingly different effects of w/mini-white. In eRING assays, flies are sharply banged to the bottom of their container, must right themselves and then climb. In ethanol sedation assays, flies are gently tapped to the bottom of their container, must right themselves and then walk. Thus, although behavioral performance in both assays is dependent on the righting reflex, eRING and sedation assays ultimately measure ethanol-induced impairment in climbing and walking, respectively.
