Assessing Impulsivity in High Alcohol Preferring Mice

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long-range goal of this proposal is to better understand impulsive choice as it relates to alcoholism. Impulsivity may well contribute to the behavior of alcoholism: both human and animal literature shows that impulsivity predates alcoholism. We will use the delay discounting task (an established model of impulsivity) to assess impulsivity in an animal model of alcoholism, the High Alcohol Preferring (HAP) mice. Our general hypothesis is that the HAP mice will show higher impulsivity with saccharin rewards than the Low Alcohol Preferring mice. Intolerance to delay of reward is characteristic of drug addicts, alcoholics, and compulsive gamblers. Additionally, we aim to assess HAP mice that have been exposed to ethanol to see if ethanol exposure itself contributes to impulsive choice. If we can demonstrate that the HAP mice, which have been selected on the basis of alcohol preference, are more impulsive, then we can show that impulsivity is coselected with alcohol preference, and we will have an animal model of impulsivity. We will also seek to determine if ethanol exposure itself exacerbates impulsivity. An animal model of impulsivity will allow the field to move forward by discovering neurochemical and anatomical substrates of impulsivity.