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Restraint to Induce Stress in Mice and Rats
Published on: December 6, 2024
Restraint stress and ethanol consumption in two mouse strains
Xiaoju Yang1, Shelun Wang, Kenner C Rice
1Department of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|March 14, 2008
Summary
Restraint stress increased ethanol consumption in one mouse strain but not the other. The study found that manipulating stress hormones like CRF and corticosterone did not affect this stress-induced ethanol preference, suggesting an independent mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Investigating the relationship between stress and alcohol consumption is crucial for understanding alcohol use disorders.
- Previous research suggests a link between stress and increased ethanol intake, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how restraint stress influences ethanol consumption in different mouse strains.
- To determine the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and its components, such as CRF and corticosterone, in stress-induced ethanol drinking.
Main Methods:
- Two mouse strains (129SVEV and C57BL/6J) were subjected to restraint stress.
- Ethanol preference and consumption were measured using a two-bottle choice paradigm.
- Mice were treated with CRF-1 receptor antagonists (R121919, Antalarmin) or a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (Mifepristone) prior to stress.
- Studies involving adrenalectomy and corticosterone implantation were also conducted.
Main Results:
- Restraint stress significantly elevated ethanol preference and consumption in 129SVEV mice, but not in C57BL/6J mice.
- CRF-1 receptor antagonists and the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist did not block the stress-induced increase in ethanol consumption.
- Corticosterone administration decreased ethanol consumption in a strain-dependent manner.
Conclusions:
- Restraint stress can modestly increase ethanol consumption in susceptible mouse strains (129SVEV).
- The observed increase in ethanol consumption under stress is independent of the HPA axis and extra-hypothalamic CRF.
- Pharmacological interventions targeting CRF and corticosterone receptors did not alter stress-induced ethanol preference.
