INIMEC - CONICET   05467
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACION MEDICA MERCEDES Y MARTIN FERREYRA
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
congresos y reuniones científicas
Título:
Further examination of neonatal learning medaited by etahnol as a function of prenatal experience with the drug.
Autor/es:
MARCH, S.M.; ABATE P; SPEAR NE; MOLINA JC
Lugar:
Wasnington DC, EEUU
Reunión:
Congreso; 2008 Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. RSA; 2008
Institución organizadora:
Research Society on Alcoholism
Resumen:
Early experiences with ethanol have been
considered a risk factor on ethanol-related problems. Several studies have
shown that prenatal alcohol exposition to low and moderate doses of EtOH increase
ethanol consumption further in life. Recently, we have shown that neonates prenatally
exposed to EtOH, learn an operant task when they are rewarded with a 3% EtOH
solution or with Sucrose+Quinine, compound that mimics ethanol sapid attributes.
On the other hand, pups lacking previous experience with the drug acquired the
operant response only when rewarded with water or milk (March et al., 2007). Fetuses
were exposed to 0.0, 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg of EtOH during GDs 17-20. One day old-rats
were trained in a FR=1 schedule. Each time an experimental pup touched a sensor
key, it was rewarded by a 10ul infusion of milk, water, Sucrose+Quinine, 3%v/v,
or 6% v/v of EtOH. Each time experimental pups were rewarded, control yoked
subjects received equivalent reward solution. To further characterize neonates
behavior during operant conditioning we analyze duration and frequency of bursts
of activity and mouthing, in those pups evaluated in the experiment described
above. General activity during the test was not affected by ethanol exposition
during gestation; this result precludes understanding differences in
instrumental behavior as a result of hyperactivity or hyper-reactivity in
animals exposed to the drug. Experimental pups tend to be more efficient on
touching the sensor key per burst of activity than yoked pups. Mouthing was
increased in neonates exposed prenatally to 2.0 g/kg of EtOH when they were
rewarded with a 6% EtOH solution. It is worthy to note that this ethanol
solution seems to be the least palatable for pups with no prenatal history with
the drug. This latter group performs more mouthing responses when confronted
with water, milk and Sucrose+Quinine compound. In general terms, prenatal
exposition to ethanol increased operant responses to ethanol solutions (3% and
S+Q) and facial hedonics reactions to the drug (6%). In spite of not having an
entire parallelism between facial reactions and operant responses, present data
supports the idea that prenatal history with ethanol have a strong impact upon
hedonics reaction and willingness towards ethanol.