Individual differences in voluntary alcohol consumption are associated with conditioned fear in the fear incubation model.

Previous research in male Long Evans rats has shown a relationship between low voluntary alcohol consumption and high conditioned fear after a single training session. Here, we determined whether chronic intermittent access (CIA) to alcohol during adolescence/early adulthood or during adulthood would alter or be associated with auditory-cued conditioned fear levels using an extended training fear incubation procedure. This training procedure leads to low fear soon after training that grows over one month.