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Sardinian alcohol-preferring (sP) and -non-preferring (sNP) rats are one of the pairs of rat lines selectively bred for high and low alcohol preference and consumption, respectively, under the homecage, continuous two-bottle choice regimen. sP rats meet most of the fundamental criteria for an animal model of alcoholism, in that they voluntarily consume sufficient amounts of alcohol to achieve significant blood alcohol levels and produce psychopharmacological effects, including anxiolysis and motor stimulation. sP rats are also willing to 'work' (such as lever-pressing) for alcohol. Chronic alcohol drinking in sP rats results in the development of tolerance to a given effect of alcohol (specifically, motor incoordination) and relapse-like drinking (the alcohol deprivation effect). Conversely, sNP rats avoid alcohol virtually completely; their avoidance for alcohol being resistant even to an environmental manipulation such as long-term exposure to alcohol plus sucrose. sP and sNP rats have been characterized for different phenotypes, possibly associated to their different alcohol preference and consumption. In comparison with sNP rats, alcohol-naive sP rats displayed (1) more anxiety-related behaviors; (2) higher initial sensitivity to the locomotor stimulating and sedative/hypnotic effects of alcohol; and (3) lower sensitivity to the aversive effects of alcohol. The present paper reviews the data collected to date on alcohol drinking behavior and other alcohol-related behaviors in sP and sNP rats. The behavioral profile of sP rats is also compared with that of other lines of selectively bred alcohol-preferring rats and the heterogeneity resulting from this comparison is discussed in terms of different animal models for the different forms of alcoholism.

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These results are in close agreement with those of a preliminary clinical study and suggest that baclofen may constitute a novel therapeutic agent for alcoholism.

Extracts of kidney beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) are known to reduce food intake and glycemia in rodents and humans. This study evaluated the effect of a novel extract of P. vulgaris on food (regular food pellets, starch-enriched diet, and chocolate-flavored beverage) intake, body weight, and glycemia in rats. The effect of the combination of the colecistokinin (CCK) receptor antagonist, lorglumide, and P. vulgaris dry extract on food intake was also investigated. Administration of doses of P. vulgaris dry extract devoid of any behavioral toxicity dose-dependently decreased food intake (irrespective of the diet), body weight gain, and glycemia. Pretreatment with lorglumide blocked the reducing effect of P. vulgaris dry extract on food intake. The capacity of this P. vulgaris dry extract to reduce food intake, body weight, and glycemia in rats may be due to (a) inhibition of alpha-amylase, (b) stimulation of CCK release from the intestinal brush border cells, and/or (c) interference with the central mechanism(s) regulating appetite, food intake, and food palatability.