Short-term selection for high and low ethanol drinking during adolescence yields an anxiety-prone phenotype in the offspring

FERNÁNDEZ MS; FERREYRA, A; PAUTASSI, R.M.

Cordoba

Congreso; Determinants of Alcoholism: bridging the gap between epidemiological and basic research; 2019

Latin American Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (LASBRA)

SHORT-TERM SELECTION FOR HIGH AND LOW ETHANOL DRINKING DURING ADOLESCENCE YIELDS AN ANXIETY-PRONE PHENOTYPE IN THE OFFSPRINGFERNÁNDEZ, M.a; FERREYRA, Aa,b ; & PAUTASSI, R. M.a,baInstituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra, INIMEC-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, C.P. 5000, ArgentinabFacultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Argentinamacarenasoledadfernandez@gmail.comAlcohol use disorders are modulated by genetic factors, but the identification of specific genes -- and their concomitant biological changes -- that are associated with a higher risk for these disorders has proven difficult. Rats and mice have been selectively bred for high and low ethanol consumption during adulthood. However, selective breeding programs for ethanol intake have not focused on adolescence. This phase of development is associated with the initiation and escalation of ethanol intake and is characterized by an increase in the sensitivity to ethanol´s appetitive effects and by a decrease in the sensitivity to ethanol´s aversive effects, relative to adulthood. The present study performed short-term behavioral selection to select rat lines that diverge in the expression of ethanol drinking during adolescence. A progenitor nucleus of Wistar rats (S0) and filial generation 1 (S1), S2, and S3 adolescent rats were derived from parents that were selected for high (ADHI) and low (ADLO) ethanol consumption during adolescence. The S0 generation and filial generations S3 of ADHI and ADLO offspring were tested for sensitivity to ethanol-induced sedation and hypnosis or for shelter-seeking and risk-taking in the multivariate concentric square field test (MSCF). ADHI rats spent significantly less time in areas of the MSCF whose exploration entails risk-taking and significantly more time in dark, sheltered areas. Some of these effects were normalized by the administration of 0.5 g/kg ethanol. There were no ADHI vs. ADLO significant differences in latency to lose the righting reflex or sleep time after high-dose ethanol administration. The results suggest that the genetic risk for enhanced ethanol intake during adolescence is associated with a behavioral pattern suggestive of enhanced inborn anxiety and differential reactivity to ethanol?s pharmacological effects. Keywords: ethanol, selected lines, risk take behavior,