Cue-alcohol associative learning in female rats
Roberto U Cofresí1, Marie-H Monfils2, Nadia Chaudhri3
1The University of Texas at Austin, Institute for Neuroscience, Austin, TX, 78712, United States; The University of Texas at Austin, College of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Psychology, Austin, TX, 78712, United States.
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)
|April 20, 2019
Summary
Environmental cues can trigger alcohol-seeking behaviors in female rats, similar to males. This study demonstrates that cue-triggered alcohol approach behavior in female rats reflects associative learning about alcohol availability and environmental cues.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Environmental cues are known to trigger alcohol-seeking behaviors, potentially contributing to problematic alcohol use.
- Previous research established cue-alcohol learning and memory in adult male rats regarding cue-evoked alcohol approach.
- The role of such associative learning in female rats remained unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether cue-evoked alcohol approach behavior in adult female rats is mediated by associative learning, mirroring findings in males.
- To determine if environmental cues can be conditioned to elicit alcohol-seeking behaviors in female rats.
Main Methods:
- Adult Long-Evans female rats underwent a 5-week home cage alcohol drinking period (two-bottle choice).
- Rats were then divided into Paired and Unpaired groups for Pavlovian conditioning in chambers.
- The Paired group received houselight cues signaling alcohol access, while the Unpaired group received yoked cues without direct association with alcohol access.
Main Results:
- An alcohol approach reaction was successfully conditioned to the houselight cue in the Paired group, but not in the Unpaired group.
- The degree of cue-conditioned reactivity positively predicted within-trial drinking behavior.
- Both groups maintained similarly low, yet detectable, blood alcohol concentrations during conditioning.
Conclusions:
- Cue-triggered alcohol-seeking behavior in adult female rats is established through associative learning.
- This learning involves the association between alcohol availability and specific environmental cues (houselight illumination).
- Findings suggest a conserved mechanism of cue-alcohol learning across sexes in rats, relevant to understanding problematic alcohol use.
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