# Sex Differences in Aversion-Resistant Ethanol Intake

> **NIH NIH R03** · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · 2021 · $75,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 A core criterion used to diagnose alcohol use disorders is the continued consumption of
alcohol in the face of negative consequences. These consequences may include negative
impact on work productivity, health, and interpersonal relationships. Preclinical animal models
have been developed to study this and other behaviors that are observed in patients with
addictive disorders. To study consumption despite negative consequences, the model of
aversion-resistant alcohol intake has been developed. In this procedure, alcohol access is
paired with a negative stimulus, usually either footshock punishment or quinine adulteration (a
bitter tastant that rodents find highly aversive). The quinine adulteration model has been used in
the last several years to examine the pharmacology and neurocircuitry of aversion resistant
alcohol intake. However, the vast majority of these studies used male mice only. Our recent
studies suggest that female mice show decreased sensitivity to quinine adulteration, suggesting
that they are more aversion-resistant than male mice and may have a higher propensity for
compulsive-like alcohol intake. This proposal examines this sex difference, first determining the
role of circulating sex hormones in this behavioral phenotype and then examining the specific
brain regions that mediate this effect. Examination of addiction-related behaviors using female
subjects is of critical importance as we know far less about these processes in females due to
the fact that studies in addiction biology have primarily used male animals. The outcomes of
these experiments will help to further our understanding of the mechanisms that contribute to
alcohol abuse in females and will open new avenues for medications development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10079447
- **Project number:** 5R03AA026989-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
- **Principal Investigator:** JESSE R SCHANK
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $75,000
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-01-03 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10079447

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10079447, Sex Differences in Aversion-Resistant Ethanol Intake (5R03AA026989-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10079447. Licensed CC0.

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