Behavior of alcohol-preferring AA and alcohol-avoiding ANA rat lines in tests of anxiety and aggression.

The present study examined whether behavior in the tests of aggression and anxiety differs between rat lines developed by selective outbreeding for differences in their voluntary alcohol consumption. The animals had either never had alcohol or had been given 10% alcohol solution as their only fluid for seven days followed by a choice between 10% alcohol and water for 30-37 days. The plus-maze test provided no clear evidence for differences in anxiety between the alcohol-preferring AA and alcohol-avoiding ANA rats. In the resident-intruder paradigm of aggressive behavior the AA rats showed more offensive and defensive behaviors than the ANA rats. The opportunity to consume alcohol influenced these behaviors, but did not produce differential responses in the AA and ANA rats.