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Chronic daily ethanol and withdrawal: 2. Behavioral changes during prolonged abstinence
D D Rasmussen1, D R Mitton, J Green
1Veteran's Assistance Puget Sound Health Care System Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center, Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA. drasmuss@u.washington.edu
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|August 16, 2001
Summary
Repetitive alcohol consumption and withdrawal in rats led to lasting anxiety and altered responses to new environments. These changes suggest alcohol abuse may create persistent neurobiological alterations increasing future substance abuse risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Alcohol abuse may cause long-term hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, potentially increasing relapse risk.
- HPA axis defects from alcohol abuse resemble those in PTSD and depression, suggesting shared neurobiological pathways.
- Investigated persistent behavioral consequences of chronic ethanol exposure and withdrawal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the lasting behavioral effects of repetitive daily ethanol consumption and subsequent withdrawal in a rodent model.
- To determine if chronic alcohol exposure induces persistent changes in anxiety and behavioral responses.
Main Methods:
- Male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered ethanol via liquid diet or a control diet.
- Ethanol exposure involved a 4-week gradual introduction, 4 weeks at 5% w/v, and a 1-week gradual withdrawal.
- Behavioral assessments included the elevated plus-maze, cork-gnawing test, and locomotor activity in a novel environment.
Main Results:
- Previously ethanol-exposed rats showed significantly increased anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus-maze and cork-gnawing tests.
- These rats also exhibited a heightened locomotor response to novel environments compared to controls.
- These behavioral changes persisted for at least 4 weeks after ethanol withdrawal.
Conclusions:
- Repetitive alcohol consumption and withdrawal can induce persistent increases in anxiety and behavioral reactivity to novelty.
- These findings align with characteristics observed in abstinent alcoholics and animal models of addiction.
- Alcohol abuse may lead to persistent neuroendocrine and behavioral changes that elevate the risk for continued or escalated substance abuse.
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