Effects of in utero administration of alcohol on alcohol sensitivity in adult rats

Increased ethanol intake after prenatal ethanol exposure: Studies with animals

“…Even though in these studies prenatal ethanol treatment does not alter the pharmacokinetics of the drug (Becker et al, 1993;Lancaster and Spiegel, 1989;Molina et al, 1987), an attenuated response to the aversive toxic properties of ethanol has been observed, along with a greater sensitivity to the stimulant reinforcing effects of the drug. As Reyes et al (1993) have already suggested, the interaction of all these effects seems to be closely related to the higher ethanol consumption reported in some studies, although this relationship has not been specifically proven. Prenatal ethanol exposure may also alter other neurochemical systems which may in turn directly or indirectly modulate the unconditioned effects of ethanol and its voluntary consumption.…”

Prenatal Ethanol (EtOH) Exposure Alters the Sensitivity of the Adult Dentate Gyrus to Acute EtOH Exposure

“…During adulthood, rats prenatally exposed to EtOH exhibited a decreased hypothermic response to intoxicating doses of EtOH (Molina et al, 1987). Additionally, prenatal EtOH exposure leads to preference for and increased tolerance of EtOH in adulthood (Abel et al, 1981;Molina et al, 1987;Reyes et al, 1993). As suggested, reduced sensitivity to EtOH may lead to the higher abuse of EtOH (Grobin et al, 1998).…”

Using drinking in the dark to model prenatal binge‐like exposure to ethanol in C57BL/6J mice

“…A number of studies have suggested that prenatal ethanol exposure reduces behavioral sensitivity to ethanol in rats (Abel et al, 1981; Fulginiti et al, 1989; Reyes et al, 1993). One of our goals of the present work was therefore to determine if binge-like ethanol exposure in utero alters ethanol behavioral phenotypes in C57BL/6J offspring.…”

“…We predicted that pregnant mice would consume high amounts of ethanol, and that their adolescent and adult offspring would exhibit deficits in a variety of behavioral tasks as suggested by studies using other prenatal ethanol exposure paradigms, including those measuring anxiety-like behavior (Dursun et al, 2006), motor coordination (Meyer et al, 1990; Riley, 1990; Hannigan and Riley, 1988), and general locomotion (Carneiro et al, 2005; Dursun et al, 2006; Riley, 1990). Based on data suggesting that prenatal ethanol exposure might alter behavioral sensitivity to the ethanol in offspring (Fulginiti et al, 1989; Reyes et al, 1993), we also assessed hypnotic sensitivity to the drug in adolescents and adults using the loss of righting reflex assay.…”