Erika Shultz, Kristina Thompson, Howard Casey Cromwell
{"title":"Predicting alcohol consumption and reward sensitivity using responses for natural sucrose reward in non-food-restricted rats.","authors":"Erika Shultz, Kristina Thompson, Howard Casey Cromwell","doi":"10.1007/s00213-025-06997-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Rationale: </strong>While around 50% of the risk for developing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) has been determined to be genetic, examining predictors of addictive-like behavior and individual variance in models without a family history of addiction is also important. Impaired reward sensitivity and response to natural reward may play a role in an individual's propensity to develop alcohol addiction. Little research has been done on predictors of alcohol addiction without food or water deprivation to coax animals into addiction.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study seeks to examine psychological and behavioral predictors of alcohol addiction in non-food restricted rats and determine whether sucrose seeking, consumption, and reward sensitivity relates to later motivation and reward-sensitivity related functions for ethanol.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study examined the appetitive and consummatory behavior of female Wistar rats in self-administration tasks using sucrose and ethanol solutions and ad-libitum access to food and water. Varying time of access for sucrose was utilized to evaluate reward sensitivity analyzing inter-session and intra-session measures.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Operant sucrose consumption predicted both 15% and 30% ethanol consumption in the home cage during 30-min exposure. Animals expressed key differences in reward sensitivity between natural and drug reward including lack of reward discrimination for sucrose during consumption along with different profiles of responding for sucrose and ethanol during the anticipatory motivated actions.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Using more precise measures of natural reward sensitivity could provide key insight into vulnerability to develop substance use disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":20783,"journal":{"name":"Psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"2445-2462"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychopharmacology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-025-06997-3","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/2 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Rationale: While around 50% of the risk for developing Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) has been determined to be genetic, examining predictors of addictive-like behavior and individual variance in models without a family history of addiction is also important. Impaired reward sensitivity and response to natural reward may play a role in an individual's propensity to develop alcohol addiction. Little research has been done on predictors of alcohol addiction without food or water deprivation to coax animals into addiction.
Objectives: This study seeks to examine psychological and behavioral predictors of alcohol addiction in non-food restricted rats and determine whether sucrose seeking, consumption, and reward sensitivity relates to later motivation and reward-sensitivity related functions for ethanol.
Methods: This study examined the appetitive and consummatory behavior of female Wistar rats in self-administration tasks using sucrose and ethanol solutions and ad-libitum access to food and water. Varying time of access for sucrose was utilized to evaluate reward sensitivity analyzing inter-session and intra-session measures.
Results: Operant sucrose consumption predicted both 15% and 30% ethanol consumption in the home cage during 30-min exposure. Animals expressed key differences in reward sensitivity between natural and drug reward including lack of reward discrimination for sucrose during consumption along with different profiles of responding for sucrose and ethanol during the anticipatory motivated actions.
Conclusions: Using more precise measures of natural reward sensitivity could provide key insight into vulnerability to develop substance use disorders.
期刊介绍：
Official Journal of the European Behavioural Pharmacology Society (EBPS)
Psychopharmacology is an international journal that covers the broad topic of elucidating mechanisms by which drugs affect behavior. The scope of the journal encompasses the following fields:
Human Psychopharmacology: Experimental
This section includes manuscripts describing the effects of drugs on mood, behavior, cognition and physiology in humans. The journal encourages submissions that involve brain imaging, genetics, neuroendocrinology, and developmental topics. Usually manuscripts in this section describe studies conducted under controlled conditions, but occasionally descriptive or observational studies are also considered.
Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Translational
This section comprises studies addressing the broad intersection of drugs and psychiatric illness. This includes not only clinical trials and studies of drug usage and metabolism, drug surveillance, and pharmacoepidemiology, but also work utilizing the entire range of clinically relevant methodologies, including neuroimaging, pharmacogenetics, cognitive science, biomarkers, and others. Work directed toward the translation of preclinical to clinical knowledge is especially encouraged. The key feature of submissions to this section is that they involve a focus on clinical aspects.
Preclinical psychopharmacology: Behavioral and Neural
This section considers reports on the effects of compounds with defined chemical structures on any aspect of behavior, in particular when correlated with neurochemical effects, in species other than humans. Manuscripts containing neuroscientific techniques in combination with behavior are welcome. We encourage reports of studies that provide insight into the mechanisms of drug action, at the behavioral and molecular levels.
Preclinical Psychopharmacology: Translational
This section considers manuscripts that enhance the confidence in a central mechanism that could be of therapeutic value for psychiatric or neurological patients, using disease-relevant preclinical models and tests, or that report on preclinical manipulations and challenges that have the potential to be translated to the clinic. Studies aiming at the refinement of preclinical models based upon clinical findings (back-translation) will also be considered. The journal particularly encourages submissions that integrate measures of target tissue exposure, activity on the molecular target and/or modulation of the targeted biochemical pathways.
Preclinical Psychopharmacology: Molecular, Genetic and Epigenetic
This section focuses on the molecular and cellular actions of neuropharmacological agents / drugs, and the identification / validation of drug targets affecting the CNS in health and disease. We particularly encourage studies that provide insight into the mechanisms of drug action at the molecular level. Manuscripts containing evidence for genetic or epigenetic effects on neurochemistry or behavior are welcome.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
