Ethanol Perinatal Exposure Induces Behavioral Alterations and Ethanol Preference in Adolescent Wistar Rats

MARIA PAULA ARONNE; RUBEN ALIMONTA RIOS; ANDREA PECILE; ALICIA BRUSCO

Journal of Drug and Alcohol Research

ashdin Publishing

Año: 2013 vol. 2 p. 1 - 9

Abstract Ethanol-perinatally-exposed (EPE) Wistar rats show central nervous system morphological alterations that persist until adulthood. The aim of this work was to study whether adolescent EPE rats present alterations in behavior and develop ethanol (EtOH) preference. For behavioral analyses, locomotor and exploratory activity, anxiety and long-term memory standardized tests were performed on 40 to 45 day- old male rats. Another group of rats chose to drink between EtOH and water using the model of preference between two bottles, one with EtOH 6% v/v and the other with water. During eight weeks, the volume of EtOH consumed/kg/day was registered and blood EtOH concentration was determined at the end of the experiment. Results in EPE rats show a decrease in aerial exploration and anxiety, while locomotor activity and long-term memory were not affected. Both male and female EPE rats preferred EtOH earlier than control rats, showinga highest level of blood EtOH concentration