Saccharin-induced increase in daily fluid intake as a predictor of voluntary alcohol intake in alcohol-preferring rats

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between saccharin intake and ethanol consumption in alcohol preferring (P) rats and Fawn Hooded (FH) rats before and after exposure to forced ethanol (10%, v/v) solution. Both groups exhibited large increases (>2X) in daily fluid intake (DFI) when saccharin (0.1%, w/v) was present and exhibited moderate levels of ethanol intake. Only the P rats significantly increased their ethanol consumption after exposure to ethanol as the sole drinking fluid. Correlational analyses revealed that the absolute intakes of saccharin and ethanol were not significantly correlated in either group, but the increase in DFI in the presence of saccharin was highly correlated with ethanol intake after forced ethanol exposure ( r > +0.8; p < 0.05). Similarly, when correlations were conducted for these variables over both the P and FH groups, the correlation between increase in DFI in the presence of saccharin and alcohol intake was significantly higher than that between saccharin and alcohol intakes. Reexamination of previous data from 6 different rat strains also revealed a significant correlation between increase in DFI in the presence of saccharin and ethanol intake. These findings suggest that the dramatic increase in of DFI in the presence of saccharin may be an animal analog of the clinical phenomenon known as a loss of control.