Ethanol effects on multiple fixed-interval, fixed-ratio responding in mice with deletions of the serotonin transporter gene

Serotonin transporter knockout (KO) mice self-administer less ethanol than either heterozygous or wild-type mice; however, the mechanistic basis for this difference remains unclear. Here we examine the possibility that ethanol more readily decreases responding in KO mice, thereby limiting ethanol self-administration. To examine whether KO mice were more sensitive to the response-decreasing effects of ethanol, we administered ethanol (0.2-3.2 g/kg) to mice responding under a multiple fixed-ratio 30-response, fixed-interval 300-s schedule of milk presentation. Ethanol decreased responding similarly in all three genotypes. Fixed-ratio responding tended to be decreased at lower doses than fixed-interval responding. The decreased level of ethanol self-administration in serotonin transporter KO mice is not explained by an increased sensitivity to the response-decreasing effects of ethanol in KO mice, as sensitivity to the response-decreasing effects of ethanol was similar in the KO, heterozygous, and wild-type mice.