RAT PERINATES THAT ARE HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO ETHANOL?S DISRUPTIVE EFFECTS ON RESPIRATION LATER EXHIBIT ABRUPT RESPIRATORY DEPRESSIONS UNDER NORMOXIC OR HYPOXIC CONDITIONS

MACCHIONE, A.F.; ANUNZIATA, F; MOLINA, JC

Valencia

Congreso; 15th ESBRA / 3rd LASBRA CONGRESS; 2015

European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism

Numerous studies have shown that alcohol is one of the most commonteratogenic agents and is able to cause irreversible damage tothe physiology of the newborn. The use and abuse of this psychotropicdrug during early ontogeny generates a spectrum of alterationsimplying the interaction of learning processes and respiratory plasticity.The aim of this study was discriminate the breathing responseduring different periods of normoxia and hypoxia (O2 8%) as a functionof prior experiences with the drug (postnatal days 3, 5 and 7)and the level of sensitivity in terms of respiratory depression. Duringthe mentioned days rat pups received an i.g. administration of 0 or2 g/kg ethanol and were subsequently tested in a whole body plethysmograph.At PD9, all pups were evaluated in terms of breathingfrequencies during periods of normoxia or hypoxia. These evaluationswere conducted under the state of sobriety and while being intoxicatedwith ethanol (2 g/kg). While sober, only those pups thatduring postnatal days 3-7 were highly sensitive to ethanol?s disruptiveeffects upon respiration exhibited a marked breathing depression.This phenomenon was also observed under the state ofsobriety or intoxication when tested under a hypoxic condition.The data indicates two main findings relative to early heightened sensitivityto the drug?s depressive effects: a) it elicits a conditioned contextualresponse mimicking ethanol?s alterations on the respiratorysystem and b) disrupts the capability of the pup to generate a compensatoryhyperventilation response when confronted with a hypoxicepisode.