Suppressed ethanol intake by CER following the sucrose-fading initiation procedure.

Lever responding maintained with sweetened ethanol reinforcement (3% sucrose in 10% ethanol) was initiated in food- and water-sated rats with the sucrose-fading procedure. Four tone-shock pairings, one per session, were superimposed on this behavioral baseline [conditioned emotional response (CER) paradigm]. A profound and sustained ethanol response suppression was found. Baseline levels of ethanol responding were recovered by repeating the original initiation procedure. Subsequent exposure to the CS tone alone (no shock) led to a nonsignificant reduction in ethanol responding. These results were discussed in terms of anxiolytic action of ethanol.