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Effects of prenatal maternal ethanol on male offspring progressive-ratio performance and response to amphetamine
G D Gentry1, C J Merritt, L D Middaugh
1University of Charleston, Department of Psychology, SC 29424, USA.
Insights
Prenatal ethanol exposure in mice reduces the effectiveness of food rewards and amplifies amphetamine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Developmental Toxicology
Background:
- Prenatal ethanol exposure is a significant concern with long-term neurobehavioral consequences.
- Previous research indicated reduced efficacy of food reinforcers in prenatal ethanol-exposed mice.
- Motivation and reinforcer efficacy are sensitive to changes in reinforcement schedules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of prenatal ethanol exposure on motivation for food rewards using a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule.
- To assess the effects of amphetamine on behavior maintained by a PR schedule in ethanol-exposed mice.
- To further elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of altered reward processing following prenatal ethanol exposure.
Main Methods:
- Adult male C57BL/6J mice, exposed to ethanol or sucrose diets during gestation, were tested on a progressive-ratio (PR) schedule for food reinforcement.
- Behavioral responses and the effects of amphetamine administration on these responses were recorded.
- Data were analyzed to compare response rates and reinforcement efficacy between ethanol-exposed and control groups.
Main Results:
- Prenatal ethanol-exposed mice exhibited significantly lower response rates on the PR schedule compared to controls.
- Amphetamine administration caused a greater disruption in responding in the prenatal ethanol-exposed group.
- These findings support the hypothesis that prenatal ethanol exposure diminishes the efficacy of food reinforcers.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal ethanol exposure reduces the motivation for and efficacy of food rewards in adult mice.
- Altered responses to amphetamine suggest potential modifications in dopamine (DA) systems, though direct neurochemical evidence remains inconclusive.
- The study highlights persistent behavioral effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on reward-related behaviors.
Abstract:
This study was designed to further explore the nature of our previously reported reduction in the efficacy of food reinforces for prenatal ethanol-exposed mice. We determined the effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on responding for food delivered on a progressive-ratio (PR) reinforcement schedule, which has been shown to be sensitive to changes in motivation and/or value of reinforcers, and we assessed the effects of amphetamine on responding maintained by the PR schedule. Subjects were adult (12 months old) male offspring of C57BL/6J mice fed liquid diets containing either ethanol (25% ethanol-derived calories, N = 12) or sucrose (25% sucrose-derived calories, N = 9) during gestation days 5-17. Prenatal ethanol-exposed mice differed from controls by having lower response rates and a greater disruption of responding following amphetamine injections. The reduced responding for food reward on the PR schedule supports our previously advanced hypothesis that prenatal ethanol reduces the efficacy of food reinforcers. The enhanced effects of amphetamine found in these adult mice is in agreement with previous reports on young rats. Although either of the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure observed in the present study are suggestive of altered DA systems, current neurochemical studies on either rats or mice provide no support for the hypothesis.
