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Is behavioral sensitization to ethanol associated with contextual conditioning in mice?
I M H Quadros1, M L O Souza-Formigoni, R V Fornari
1Psychobiology Department, Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, Brazil.
Behavioural Pharmacology
|March 27, 2003
Summary
Ethanol (EtOH) sensitization in mice is linked to learning. Sensitized mice showed more fear learning, but EtOH sensitization was not expressed in a new environment, highlighting context-dependency.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Pharmacology
- Learning and Memory
Background:
- Behavioral sensitization to drugs of abuse involves learning processes.
- Ethanol (EtOH)-induced locomotor sensitization is enhanced by pairing EtOH injections with the testing environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between contextual conditioning performance and the development of EtOH behavioral sensitization in mice.
- To determine if EtOH sensitization is expressed in a different testing environment.
Main Methods:
- Male albino Swiss mice underwent contextual fear conditioning.
- Animals received daily injections of EtOH (2.2 g/kg) or saline for 21 days, with weekly locomotor activity testing.
- Following withdrawal, mice were challenged with EtOH in a novel open-field environment.
Main Results:
- Mice treated with EtOH were classified as sensitized or non-sensitized based on locomotor activity.
- Sensitized mice exhibited significantly greater freezing time in the conditioning test compared to non-sensitized mice.
- Neither EtOH-treated subgroup displayed sensitization when challenged in the novel open-field environment.
Conclusions:
- The development of EtOH sensitization appears positively associated with contextual learning.
- Expression of EtOH behavioral sensitization is highly dependent on the specific environmental context.