Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on alcohol intake and anxiety responses: modulation by environmental enrichment or social isolation

HAEGER SOTO PAOLA; FERNANDEZ, MACARENA SOLEDAD; DI DOI, PAULA; PAUTASSI RM

Puerto Varas

Congreso; VIII International meeting of the Latinamerican Society of Research on Alcoholism (LASBRA): ?Neurobiological basis y of alcoholism: from molecules to behavior?.; 2017

LASBRA

Several studies indicate that prenatal ethanolexposure (PEE) alters ethanol intake atadolescence. At present, however, little isknown on how this effect of PEE is modulatedby exposure to protective (e.g., enriched) oradverse (e.g., with high stress load)environments. This work analyzed chronicethanol intake (12 24-h tests, every other daysave Sundays for 4 weeks), and anxietyresponses in young adult Wistar rats, malesand females, exposed or not to prenatalalcohol (continuous access to 10% ethanol,throughout gestation and during the firstweek of breastfeeding). As adolescents(postnatal day 21 to 42) the rats were housedunder conditions of environmentalenrichment, under stress (social deprivation)or under standard, animal-facility, conditionsAnxiety responses were evaluated throughthe light-dark box test.Social isolated animals, particularly the males,showed increased consumption of alcoholduring the initial tests, as compared toenriched or control animal, and display higherlevels of anxiety. A paradoxical result wasanimals treated prenatally with alcoholexhibited reduced alcohol intake thanvehicle-exposed controls. This effect was notsignificantly modified by housing conditionsat adolescence. The paradoxical effect couldbe explained by the development ofaconditioned aversion towards the taste orsmell of alcohol, due to the associationbetween these properties of the drug andmaternal maltreatment or lack of appropriatematernal care. Future studies should assessthis possibility