Examples of rat and mouse models and their suitability in the examination of alcohol-related studies
For more information see Crabbe et al., 1994, 2005, 2010; Kiianmaa, 1990; Rhodes et al., 2007; Rustay et al., 2003; Tzschentke, 2007.
| Animal Strain or Line | Description | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Rats | ||
| Sprague-Dawley | Outbred line | General multipurpose model, albino |
| Wistar | Outbred line | General multipurpose model, albino |
| AA and ANA | Lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference and consumption | Breeding program started in Finland in 1960s; derived from Wistar and Sprague-Dawley background; Lewis and Brown Norwegian genotype was introduced later |
| P and NP | Lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference and consumption | Breeding was initiated in 1970s in the United States; Wistar background, inbred |
| sP and sNP | Lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference and consumption | Breeding started in 1981 in Sardinia; Wistar background |
| AT and ANT | Rats with genetic tolerance or hypersensitivity towards alcohol-induced ataxia | Breeding started in 1970s in Finland; several background lines |
| Mice | ||
| C57BL/6J | Inbred strain, J refers to the substrain from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME) | Multipurpose model; used in ethanol drinking studies because of the high ethanol consumption; EtOH-induced CPP and low stimulation |
| DBA/2J | Inbred strain from The Jackson Laboratory | Multipurpose model; used in place preference studies; do not drink ethanol voluntarily |
| 129/Sv | Inbred strain, typically the background strain when generating knockout mice | Moderate to low responses to alcohol, high alcohol CPP, low spontaneous activity |
| HAP/LAP | High/low alcohol consumption | Derived from the HS/Igb eight-way inbred strain cross, United States |
| HDID-1, HDID-2 | High drinking in the dark | Derived from the HS/Npt 8-way inbred strain cross, United States |