An animal model of prenatal alcohol effects on learning and alcohol intake

FABIO, MC; MARCH, SM; MACCHIONE, A.F.; NIZHNIKOV, ME; SPEAR, NE; PAUTASSI, RM

Bogotá

Simposio; XVII Biennal Meeting of the International Society for comparative Psychology; 2014

Epidemiological and pre-clinical data indicate that prenatal ethanol exposure is a risk factor for heightened alcohol use and abuse later in life. Fetuses perceive the chemosensory properties of ethanol following maternal intoxication and can learn that these odor cues predict the rewarding effect of the drug, leading to heightened seeking and intake later in life, for instance during adolescence. Heightened alcohol intake during adolescence is, in turn, a risk factor for alcohol use disorders at adulthood. We have developed, based on previous studies, an animal model of prenatal exposure to ethanol during late gestation. Alcohol intake data of adolescent rats exposed to moderate doses of ethanol (2.0 g/kg on DGs 17-20; PE group) in short and long-term assessments will be presented. Moreover, potential impairments in pre-frontal brain activity and associative learning will be discussed as possible mechanisms underlying heightened ethanol intake in adolescent animals exposed to ethanol in utero.