TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1987//
TI  - Alcoholism: is it a model for the study of disorders of mood and consummatory behavior?
JO  - Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
A1  - Li, T. K.
A1  - Lumeng, L.
A1  - McBride, W. J.
A1  - Murphy, J. M.
SP  - 239
EP  - 249
VL  - 499
IS  - 
N2  - Depression, eating disorders, and carbohydrate craving are frequently seen in alcoholics or recovering alcoholics. Accordingly, these disorders may share some mediating pathways. It is now well-established that there is a genetic predisposition to alcoholism. Through genetic means, our laboratory has developed an animal model of alcoholism. Free-fed Wistar rats were selectively bred for the traits of alcohol-preference (the P line) and non-preference (the NP line). After more than 20 generations of selection, the lines show a stable difference of more than six-fold in voluntary ethanol consumption. We have now shown that the P line satisfies all the perceived requirements of an animal model of alcoholism. One major discovered difference between the P and the NP line is the lowered content of serotonin in certain brain regions of the P rats. Interestingly, fluoxetine curbs the alcohol-seeking behavior of the P rats; variation in the carbohydrate content of the diet, however, does not modify voluntary ethanol intake. The P rats are similar in body weight to the NP rats, but are more active in a novel environment than the NP rats.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0077-8923
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -