Brain and blood levels of ethanol and acetaldehyde in strains of mice with different preferences for ethanol.

The ethanol level in brain and blood and the blood level of acetaldehyde upon waking from an anesthetic dose of ethanol were found to be significantly higher in C57BL/6J mice which prefer to drink ethanol solution over water than in DBA/2J mice which avoid the drinking of an ethanol solution. The brain level of acetaldehyde did not differ significantly between the two mouse strains. Possible explanations for the difference in brain sensitivity toward ethanol are discussed.