Deletion of Fyn does not appear to affect ethanol self-administration in mice. Female Fyn knockout mice show no differences in ethanol self-administration compared with wild-type mice.273 Depending on the laboratory, male Fyn knockout mice show decreased273 or no difference in ethanol preference compared with wild-type mice.272,275 Male Fyn knockout mice also show no change in stress-associated ethanol self-administration275 or ethanol CPP compared with wild-type mice.272 However, micro-injection of the Fyn kinase inhibitor PP2 or the NR2B inhibitor ifendopril into the dorsal striatum reduces ethanol self-administration in wild type animals, suggesting that the absence of phenotypes in the Fyn knockout may be due to compensatory changes in other gene products that mask a role for Fyn in regulating ethanol self-administration and reward.267 In contrast to Fyn knockout mice, OVF mice show decreased ethanol consumption and preference.274,276
