Genetic dissociation between ethanol sensitivity and rapid tolerance in mouse and rat strains selectively bred for differential ethanol sensitivity.

Background: The Inbred Long- and Short-Sleep mice (ILS and ISS) and the Inbred High- and Low-Alcohol-Sensitive rats (IHAS and ILAS) were selectively bred for differential alcohol sensitivity with use of the duration of loss-of-righting-reflex test (LORR), with the IHAS and ILS animals being much more sensitive than the ILAS and ISS animals, respectively. The current study was undertaken to determine whether acute sensitivity in these strains is genetically correlated to a rapid tolerance to alcohol, a form of tolerance that is evident 24 hr after a single alcohol dose.

Methods: Separate groups of animals were administered a single pretreatment dose of alcohol (0-6 g/kg for the mice; 0-4 g/kg for the rats).