Impairment of avoidance behavior following short-term ingestion of alcohol.

Acquisition and retention of a shock avoidance task were impaired in mice at 5 h and 5 days but not at 14 days after withdrawal from 5 days of chronic alcohol consumption. Mice trained before ingestion of an alcohol-containing diet showed impairment in retention of the shock avoidance procedure 5 h after withdrawal from the diet but not during ingestion or 5 days after withdrawal. At 5 h after withdrawal from the alcohol-containing diet, motor activity and sensitivity to shock were not affected, but there was a decreased motor response to shock. There was no correlation between performance of the avoidance task and the severity of withdrawal signs, as measured by hypothermia or convulsions on handling. The hypothermia and other withdrawal signs were reversed by acute injection of alcohol, but the impairment in avoidance responding was not. These results demonstrate that consumption of an ethanol-containing diet for periods as short as 5 days results in relatively long-lasting alterations in avoidance behavior after withdrawal of the diet. This behavioral impairment appears to be distinct from other signs of alcohol withdrawal.