Work

Individual differences in ethanol drinking meal structure are shaped by social environments

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is marked by substantial heterogeneity in drinking behaviors and health outcomes, underscoring the need for preclinical models that capture interindividual variability. We recently developed open-source capacitive lickometer systems for high-resolution monitoring of mouse fluid intake. Using LIQ PARTI and LIQ HD, we found substantial individual differences in alcohol intake that varied across sex and housing status in C57Bl6/J mice. Here, we conducted a secondary analysis of this continuous access ethanol drinking data to quantify behavioral variability in group and singly housed mice. We introduce a fluid "meal" pattern analysis that integrates drinking across ethanol and water sippers to define discrete drinking episodes. Using this approach, we observed sex- and housing-dependent reorganization of drinking structure across group and single-housed settings, with group-housed male mice exhibiting fewer but faster liquid meals. To further characterize multidimensional drinking patterns, we applied principal component analysis to meal variables and identified a "distributed meal" phenotype defined by increased meal number, reduced meal size, earlier onset of drinking, and higher ethanol preference. Considering factors that influence behaviors in a social environment, we next examined whether social hierarchy was associated with these patterns using a tube test dominance assay. Social rank was unrelated to ethanol and meal measures; however, offensive dominance behavior positively correlated with principal component scores in males. Together, these findings demonstrate that high-resolution, longitudinal analysis of ethanol drinking reveals distinct behavioral phenotypes that are associated with key components of social behaviors, providing a potential framework for understanding heterogeneity in AUD-related drinking.

Source: Addiction Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1016/j.addicn.2026.100290

Authors: Marie A. Doyle, Caitlyn M. Edwards, Sabrina D. Hallal, Samuel M. Bond, Nicholas Petersen, Danny G. Winder

Institutions: University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Vanderbilt University

Language: English

Topic: Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,660