Chunk #43 — 4. Selectively bred high alcohol-consuming rat lines and their phenotypic characteristics — 4.6. Selectively bred rat lines and some family history positive correlates
the environment in which ethanol was consumed (Bell et al., 2002, 2008b). These findings parallel the substantial clinical literature on cue-reactivity (autonomic reactivity to alcohol-associated cues) and its association with craving and alcohol abuse (Childress et al., 1993; Drummond et al., 1990; Greeley et al., 1993; Kaplan et al., 1983, 1985; O’Brien et al., 1992; Rajan et al., 1998; Stormark et al., 1998). Thus, monitoring autonomic reactivity in P rats may be an important model system for testing compounds targeting craving, especially in the context of cue-reactivity. None of the other rat lines have been examined for ethanol-induced autonomic reactivity thus far, but this effect is probably present in the other high alcohol-consuming rat lines as well.
