Alcohol consumption in rats treated with lithium carbonate or rubidium chloride.

Wistar-NTRU rats, offered a free choice between tap water and a 10% ethanol solution (v/v) in the absence of reinforcement, were injected for five days with Li2 CO3, RbCl or placebo. Lithium-treated group consumed 25% more liquid per day but chose to take 14.5% less alcohol than controls (p less than 0.05). By contrast, rubidium-treated animals consumed 15% less liquid but 70% more alcohol than control animals (p less than 0.005). Rubidium-treated rats were strikingly more active than the other two groups: their motility index was 60.0 as compared to 33.6 for lithium-treated and 29.4 for control rats. Serum glucose and urea nitrogen concentration were not significantly affected by the treatment but serum alcohol content was low in lithium-treated and high in rubidum-treated animals.