Preference for alcohol in the infant rat after prenatal alcohol exposure, measured by intake and taste reactivity tests

CHOTRO, M.G; ARIAS, C

Aix-en-Provence, Francia

Congreso; 37th Meeting of the International Society for Developmental Psychobiology: 37th Annual Meeting; 2004

International Society for Developmental Psychobiology

Previous studies have shown that prenatal exposure during gestational days 17-20 to low or moderate doses of ethanol (1 or 2 g/kg) increases alcohol intake in infant rats. Taking into account that higher consumption does not necessarily imply a preference for alcohol, in the present study the hedonic nature of the prenatal experience was more precisely analyzed using a taste reactivity test. General activity, wall climbing and mouthing in response to intraoral infusions of alcohol, water and a sucrose - quinine solution (which resembles alcohol taste in rats) were tested in 14-day old rat pups prenatally exposed to 0, 1 or 2 g/kg of alcohol during gestational days 17-20. Consumption of those substances was also measured during the test and also on postnatal day 15. Results show that pups prenatally exposed to both doses of ethanol displayed lower levels of general activity and wall climbing than control rats when administered intraoral infusions of alcohol. Infant rats treated prenatally with the 2 g/kg dose showed higher consumption and more mouthing in response to alcohol as well as to the sucrose-quinine solution. Pups exposed to the low alcohol dose consumed more alcohol than controls. These results seem to support the hypothesis of the establishment of a preference for alcohol after prenatal exposure to the drug.