Evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies point towards an association between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and alcohol abuse. In the present study we investigated whether a similar relationship could be observed in an animal model of GAD. Specifically, we evaluated the alcohol intake of Carioca High- and Low-conditioned Freezing rats (CHF and CLF, respectively). Sex differences in alcohol drinking behavior were also studied. Male and female rats from randomized crossbreeding populations served as controls (CTL). Free- and forced-choice protocols were used to measure alcohol consumption, and quinine and saccharin were used as taste control solutions. Our results indicate that CHF rats consumed more alcohol than CLF and CTL ones in both the free-choice (6 and 10% concentrations) and the forced-choice (10% concentration) conditions. CHF female rats exhibited the highest amount of alcohol intake in the forced-choice condition. CHF females also consumed more quinine than CHF male rats. Finally, CHF rats exhibited lower saccharin consumption compared to CLF and CTL animals. Altogether, these results support the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between anxiety and alcohol intake, and provide further evidence for the use of CHF rats as a model of GAD.

临床和流行病学研究的证据表明，广泛性焦虑症（GAD）与酗酒之间存在关联。在本研究中，我们调查了在GAD动物模型中是否可以观察到类似的关系。具体来说，我们评估了Carioca高条件和低条件冷冻大鼠（分别为CHF和CLF）的酒精摄入量。还研究了饮酒行为中的性别差异。来自随机杂交种群的雄性和雌性大鼠用作对照（CTL）。使用自由选择和强制选择方案测量酒精消耗，奎宁和糖精用作味道控制溶液。我们的结果表明，在自由选择（浓度为6％和10％）和强迫选择（浓度为10％）条件下，CHF大鼠的饮酒量均高于CLF和CTL。CHF雌性大鼠在强迫选择条件下的酒精摄入量最高。CHF雌性也比CHF雄性大鼠消耗更多的奎宁。最后，与CLF和CTL动物相比，CHF大鼠的糖精消耗量较低。总之，这些结果支持了焦虑与饮酒之间存在正相关的假设，并为将CHF大鼠用作GAD模型提供了进一步的证据。