INVESTIGADORES
PAUTASSI Ricardo Marcos
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Emotional reactivity in adolescent animals with or without prenatal ethanol exposure
Autor/es:
PAUTASSI RM; MOLINA JC; MARCH SM; FABIO M.C.
Lugar:
Huerta Grande, Cba
Reunión:
Congreso; IIRCN, Second Joint Meeting of the Argentine Society for Neurosciences (SAN) and the Argentine Workshop in Neurosciences (TAN); 2010
Institución organizadora:
Argentine Society for Neurosciences (SAN) and the Argentine Workshop in Neurosciences (TAN)
Resumen:
Emotional reactivity in adolescent animals with
or without prenatal ethanol exposure
Problematic use of alcohol, which mainly starts
at early adolescence, is associated with a heightened probability of Alcohol
use Disorders later in life. We recently underscored the facilitative effects
of gestational alcohol on adolescent alcohol affinity (Fabio et al., 2010).
This study aimed at analyzing differences in emotional reactivity underlying
this facilitative effect. Pregnant Wistar rats were given ethanol (2 g/kg, ig)
or vehicle on gestational days 17-20. Their adolescent offspring was challenged
with ethanol (2.5 or 0.0 g/kg) or left untreated and screened for motor
activation in an open-field arena. Afterwards, they were assessed for
appetitive (50-60khz) and aversive (20-30khz) emission of ultrasonic
vocalizations (USVs). We observed ethanol-induced activation and heightened
USVs (both appetitive and aversive) in animals challenged with ethanol, and
these effects did not differ across prenatal treatments. A subsequent
experiment revealed similar blood alcohol levels at adolescence, after ethanol
or vehicle prenatal exposure. Under these experimental conditions, the
facilitative effects of gestational alcohol exposure on adolescent alcohol
affinity cannot be explained in terms of differential emotional reactivity
caused by prenatal exposure.