Maternal separation and alcohol. Reversal of its effects through Environmental Enrichment

ACOSTA, GABRIELA BEATRIZ

Internacional Congress DOHaD 2019

Congreso; Internacional Congress DOHaD 2019; 2019

Developmental Origins of Health and Diseases (DOHaD) Society

Background/Aims: Adverse events early in life have been linked to a maladaptive stress response in adulthood that can predispose individuals to psychiatric and physiological disorders. We measure the long-term maternal separation Repeated (RMS) and ethanol intake on the behavior studies and its possible reversion by an environmental enrichment (EE) treatment in adolescent and adult rats focusing on voluntary alcohol intake.Method: RMS was applied from the postnatal day (PD) 2 in which the offspring were separated from their mothers and exposed to cold stress (4 °C) 1 h per day for 20 days. Control groups remained with their mothers undisturbed. Later, all groups were exposed to voluntary ethanol or dextrose intake for 7 days. After 30 days of EE period, the animals were exposed again to a second 7 days to voluntary intake protocol. At PD66 animals underwent behavioral postnatal, the male rats were subjected to the three established behavioural tests: 1- Elevated plus maze; 2- Light-dark transition; 3- Open field testResults: We found that the RMS altered the animal?s behavior in conflict tests, increasing the exploration of aversive situation. Exposure to an EE during adolescence reversed alcohol intake and altered the behavioural parameters. Conclusions: We found that while negative experiences during childhood could induce drug use with behavioral disorders. In the long term, positive experiences, such as growing up in an enriched environment, can reverse these effects.