# Procedural separation of appetitive and consummatory behaviors in operant ethanol self‐administration: A review and open‐source analytical framework

## TL;DR

A new rodent model and analysis tool help separate alcohol-seeking and drinking behaviors, offering better insights into alcohol use disorder.

## Contribution

A biphasic sipper model and open-source R framework improve the analysis of ethanol self-administration behaviors in rodents.

## Key findings

- The biphasic sipper model distinguishes seeking from consumption in rodent ethanol intake.
- Ethanol-directed behaviors are influenced by internal states, environmental cues, and prior experience.
- An open-source analytical framework standardizes high-resolution temporal data analysis.

## Abstract

Despite decades of research, no new FDA‐approved medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD) have emerged in over 25 years. Enhancing the translational relevance of preclinical models by more precisely capturing the behavioral and neurobiological features of AUD offers a promising path toward identifying novel therapeutic targets. Operant self‐administration paradigms are essential for modeling voluntary ethanol intake in rodents, yet traditional approaches often confound appetitive (seeking) and consummatory (intake) behaviors. A biphasic sipper model developed by Hank Samson's laboratory addressed this limitation by allowing extended, uninterrupted access to ethanol following operant responding, enabling a clearer dissociation between seeking and consumption. In this review, we synthesize key findings from studies employing this methodology which investigated the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol use. We emphasize how over two decades of research employing this approach have demonstrated that ethanol‐directed behaviors are dynamic processes, shaped by internal states, environmental cues, and prior experience. Finally, we introduce an open‐source analytical framework in the R programming language designed to standardize the analysis of high‐resolution temporal data generated by the biphasic sipper paradigm. Together, these methodological and analytical advances enhance the translational potential of preclinical models and may ultimately aid in the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for AUD.

This review highlights the biphasic sipper model pioneered by Dr. Hank Samson's laboratory, which separates appetitive and consummatory behaviors in rodent ethanol self‐administration. Over two decades of research using this paradigm reveals that alcohol‐directed behaviors are dynamic, shaped by internal states, cues, and experience. We also introduce an open‐source R framework for analyzing high‐resolution temporal data. Together, these advances strengthen preclinical models' ability to inform clinical interventions and may accelerate discovery of novel therapeutic targets for alcohol use disorder.