Adjunctive polydipsia as a model of alcoholism

Abstract

Schedule-induced polydipsia or adjunctive drinking as been proposed as an animal model of alcoholism. Procedures employed to modify adjunctive drinking are reviewed here in order to evaluate their usefulness in the control of schedule-induced alcohol consumption. The major procedures employed to alter adjunctive drinking are: (1) physiological, such as pre-loading the animal with water, desalivating the animal, or adding a sweet solution to the water; (2) pharmacological, such as evaluating the effects of amphetamines or other drugs on adjunctive drinking; and (3) behavioral, such as changing the inter-reinforcement interval length, making an alternative response available, or giving the animal the option to terminate an extinction period. Altering the palatability of alcohol and utilizing behavioral methods to control drinking appear to be the most promising lines of investigation employing this animal model of alcoholism.