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Increased vulnerability to ethanol consumption in adolescent maternal separated mice
María S García-Gutiérrez1,2, Francisco Navarrete1,2, Auxiliadora Aracil1,2
1Instituto de Neurociencias, Campus de San Juan, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Spain.
Addiction Biology
|May 20, 2015
Summary
Early life stress in mice increases adolescent vulnerability to ethanol consumption and alters stress-related brain pathways. Additional adolescent stress further exacerbates ethanol intake and motivation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Early life stress is a significant risk factor for developing mental health disorders and substance abuse.
- Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms linking early adversity to adolescent ethanol consumption is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of maternal separation (MS) as a model of early life stress on adolescent ethanol consumption.
- To examine the behavioral and neurobiological alterations in mice subjected to early life stress.
- To assess the combined effects of early life stress and adolescent stress on ethanol intake.
Main Methods:
- Maternal separation was performed on postnatal days 8 and 12 in mice.
- Emotional behavior and pre-attentional deficits were assessed using established behavioral tests.
- Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of key neurochemical markers in brain regions like the PVN, VTA, NAc, and HIP.
- Ethanol consumption and motivation were evaluated via oral ethanol self-administration.
Main Results:
- Maternal separation induced mood-related alterations and pre-attentional deficits in adolescent mice.
- Significant changes in neurochemical markers (CRF, NR3C1, TH, MOr, BDNF, NeuN, MAP2, NF200) were observed in key brain areas.
- Adolescent MS mice exhibited increased ethanol consumption and motivation.
- Exposure to additional stress during adolescence amplified ethanol consumption in MS mice.
Conclusions:
- Early life stress significantly increases vulnerability to adolescent ethanol consumption.
- Early life stress alters neurobiological pathways involved in stress response, reward, and cognition.
- Adolescent stress potentiates the effects of early life stress on ethanol consumption, highlighting a critical developmental window.
