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Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats
Published on: December 14, 2014
Pharmacological effects of ethanol on ingestive behavior of the preweanling rat
Andrey P Kozlov1, Michael E Nizhnikov, Elena I Varlinskaya
1Center for Development & Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, United States.
Insights
Infant rats show changing sensitivity to ethanol
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Ethanol's effects on ingestive behavior are critical for understanding developmental neurotoxicity.
- Infant rodent models are essential for studying early-life exposure to ethanol.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how ethanol's effects on ingestive behavior change in infant rats between postnatal day 9 and 12.
- To determine if ethanol sensitivity differs between sexes at postnatal day 12.
Main Methods:
- Assessed saccharin and water intake, motor activity, and myoclonic twitching in response to ethanol (0, 0.25, 0.5 g/kg) in postnatal day 9 and 12 rats.
- Utilized taste reactivity tests to measure responses to saccharin infusions at varying rates.
Main Results:
- Ethanol (0.5 g/kg) attenuated saccharin intake in postnatal day 9 pups but enhanced it in postnatal day 12 rats.
- Sex differences emerged on postnatal day 12, with females showing higher saccharin intake than males at the highest ethanol dose.
- Ethanol increased taste responsiveness to saccharin on postnatal day 12, particularly with high-rate infusions.
Conclusions:
- Significant ontogenetic changes in ethanol sensitivity occur during the second postnatal week.
- Postnatal day 9 rats are more sensitive to ethanol's inhibitory effects, while postnatal day 12 rats show sensitivity to its stimulatory effects.
- Ethanol may enhance saccharin intake by sensitizing oral responses to appetitive taste stimuli in developing rats.
Abstract:
The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that sensitivity of ingestive behavior of infant rat to the pharmacological effects of ethanol changes between postnatal (P) days 9 and 12. The intake of 0.1% saccharin and water, general motor activity, and myoclonic twitching activity were assessed following administration of three doses of ethanol (0, 0.25, and 0.5 g/kg) while fluids were free available to the animals. The 0.5 g/kg dose of ethanol attenuated saccharin intake in P9 pups and enhanced saccharin intake in P12 rats. On P12 some sex-related differences emerged at 0.5 g/kg of ethanol, with saccharin intake being higher in females than in their male counterparts. Taste reactivity probe revealed that 0.5 g/kg of ethanol increased taste responsiveness to saccharin on P12 but only to infusions presented at a high rate. The results of the present study indicate that ontogenetic changes in sensitivity to the effects of ethanol on ingestive behavior occur during the second postnatal week, with P9 animals being more sensitive to the inhibitory (sedative) effects on saccharin intake and P12 rats being more sensitive to the stimulatory effects of ethanol. We suggest that acute ethanol enhanced saccharin intake via sensitization of oral response to appetitive taste stimulation.
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