Figure 4

Long-term drinking decreases anxiety-like characteristics in FSL animals. The Novelty Suppressed Feeding (NSF) test was repeated following > 8 weeks of voluntary drinking according to the IA20E protocol to assess alcohol-associated changes in anxiety-like behaviors (NSF test 2). Analyses of the percentage change from the pre-alcohol baseline (i.e., NSF test 1), revealed anxiolytic-like effects of alcohol in the FSL rats as evidenced by (a) a significant reduction in the latency to approach the food (n = 9–10 animals/group, n = 2 outliers) and (b) a significant increase in the number of approaches (n = 9–10 animals/group, n = 1 outlier). However, (c) no significant alcohol-induced changes were found in the latency to eat (n = 6–9 animals/group, n = 1 outlier). (a–c) In the control FRL-group there were no significant alcohol-induced changes compared to pre-alcohol baseline in any of the analyzed behaviors. Graph data are presented as mean ± SEM and were analyzed by two-way ANOVA followed by Sidak’s multiple comparisons test. **P < 0.01.