Infantile Sensitivity to Ethanol's Motivational Effects: Ethanol Reinforcement During the Third Postnatal Week

Molina, Juan Carlos; Ponce, Luciano Federico; Truxell, Eric; Spear, Norman E.

doi:10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00182.x

Cited by 34 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…The temporal coincidence between biphasic motivational and locomotor effects seems to argue in favor of the hypothesis that similar mechanisms underlie these processes (Risinger & Cunningham, 1992;Wise & Bozarth, 1987). Nevertheless, it is important to note that the lower dose here utilized (0.5 g/kg) was not observed to exert motor activating effects even though it is sufficient to act as a positive or negative (anti-anxiety) reinforcer in the developing infant (Molina, Ponce, Truxell, & Spear, 2006;Pautassi, Melloni, Ponce, & Molina, 2005;Pautassi et al, 2007). As a function of these considerations it appears that the results of the present study and those derived from the analysis of ethanol's early motivational effects partially support the hypothesis for common mechanisms underlying ethanol's reinforcement and activating effects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Acute sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol in preweanling rats with or without prenatal experience with the drug

Arias

Molina

Mlewski

et al. 2008

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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The present study examined behavioral sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol in infants with or without a moderate prenatal ethanol experience. During gestational days 17-20 dams received 0.0 or 2.0 g/kg ethanol. On postnatal day 13 pups were administered 0.0, 0.5 or 2.5 g/kg ethanol prior to assessment of locomotion. One third of the pups were evaluated at 5-10, 30-35 and 60-65 min after ethanol administration; another third was tested only during the last two post-administration periods; and the remaining third was tested only at 60-65 min. At 30-35 min blood ethanol levels were similar to those attained at 60-65 min. The main results of the study were: (a) The 2.5 g/kg ethanol dose induced biphasic motor effects: stimulation 5-10 minutes after drug administration and sedation after 30-35 or 60-65 minutes. (b) Infants exhibited acute tolerance to ethanol's sedative effects. (c) Although pups prenatally treated with ethanol exhibited heightened locomotor activity levels, acute sensitivity and tolerance were not affected by prenatal treatment. In summary, infants are sensitive to biphasic motor consequences of ethanol and readily exhibit acute tolerance to ethanol's sedative effects. In addition, moderate prenatal ethanol exposure was sufficient to induce hyper-reactivity in the offspring without affecting habituation. KeyboardsPrenatal ethanol; ethanol acute sensitivity; ethanol acute tolerance; locomotor activity; habituation; infant and rat There is a considerable body of experimental evidence indicating that prenatal exposure to ethanol can critically modulate subsequent ethanol intake. This association between prenatal ethanol exposure and later affinity for the drug has been detected in various strains of rats and mice when using a variety of modes of ethanol exposure during pregnancy (Chotro, Arias, & Laviola, 2007). Heightened ethanol consumption resulting from gestational exposure to ethanol has been observed through tests conducted during different ontogenetic periods, including infancy, adolescence and adulthood (Chotro et al., 2007;. Recent epidemiologic studies have found results analogous to those reported in this preclinical research. Even when controlling genetic and environmental factors known to modulate ethanol * Corresponding author. Center for Developmental Psychobiology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA Email Address afelicidade@yahoo.es. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript affinity, prenatal exposure to ethanol st...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Acute sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol in preweanling rats with or without prenatal experience with the drug

Arias

Molina

Mlewski

et al. 2008

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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“…Taken together, the data suggest that fetal experience-induced olfactory plasticity, in response to ethanol, is a means by which olfactory system function becomes tuned (both behaviorally and neurophysiologically) to emphasize the transduction of ethanol's chemosensory attributes. Consequently, these effects could either underlie or work in concert with the reinforcing properties of ethanol (Cunningham, 1998;Cunningham, Clemans, & Fidler, 2002;Molina, Ponce, Truxell, & Spear, 2006) to establish the previously described enhanced behavioral responsiveness to ethanol odor as a result of fetal experience. From a clinical perspective, an enhanced preference for ethanol odor may be an important contributor to the risk for an enhanced postnatal avidity for the drug.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experience-induced fetal plasticity: The effect of gestational ethanol exposure on the behavioral and neurophysiologic olfactory response to ethanol odor in early postnatal and adult rats.

Youngentob¹,

Kent²,

Sheehe³

et al. 2007

Behavioral Neuroscience

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Human fetal ethanol exposure is strongly associated with ethanol avidity during adolescence. Evidence that intrauterine olfactory experience influences chemosensory-guided postnatal behaviors suggests that an altered response to ethanol odor resulting from fetal exposure may contribute to later abuse risk. Using behavioral and neurophysiological methods, the authors tested whether ethanol exposure via the dam's diet resulted in an altered responsiveness to ethanol odor in infant and adult rats. Compared with controls, (a) fetal exposure tuned the neurophysiologic response of the olfactory epithelium to ethanol odor at some expense to its responsiveness to other odorants in infantile rats-this effect was absent in adults; (b) the neural effect in infantile rats was paralleled by an altered behavioral response to ethanol odor that was specific to this odorant-this effect was also absent in adults; and (c) a significant component of the infantile behavioral effect was attributable to ethanol's effect on the olfactory neural modality. These data provide evidence for an important relationship between prenatal ethanol experience and postnatal behavioral responsiveness to the drug that is modulated or determined by olfactory function. Keywords NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptThe chemical senses are among the earliest systems to develop (Gottlieb, 1971;Schaal & Orgeur, 1992;Smotherman & Robinson, 1990), and in the chemosensory world of the uterus, they may have a unique salience. This statement is of potential significance to the field of ethanol research given that clinical and epidemiological studies provide strong data for a predictive relationship between prenatal ethanol exposure and the risk for ethanol abuse in adolescent and young adults (Alati et al., 2006;Baer, Bar, Bookstein, Sampson, & Streissguth, 1998;Streissguth, 1998;Yates, Cadoret, Troughton, Steward, & Giunta, 1998).It is well documented that olfactory function is fundamental to regulating a variety of biological processes, such as reproduction, food intake, and different social behaviors. Even communication between conspecific and heterospecific animals relies heavily on the reception and processing of odors produced by body glands and even feces and urine. Given this profound level of functional importance, not surprisingly, experience-induced plasticity in response to odorants is a means by which the olfactory system can be tuned to emphasize the transduction of stimuli that are deemed relevant within the animal's environment (Hudson, 1993(Hudson, , 1999. A variety of data indicate that the olfactory system is plastic in response to the odorant environment and have been gathered using different experimental manipulations, such as selective odorant exposure in neonates (Coopersmith & Leon, 1984;Johnson, Woo, Duong, Nguyen, & Leon, 1995;McCollum, Woo, & Leon, 1997;McLean & Harley, 2004;Sullivan & Leon, 1986;Sullivan, McGaugh, & Leon, 1991;Sullivan, Wilson, & Leon, 1989;Woo, Coopersmith, & Leon, 1987;Wo...

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“…When considering the average weight of our subjects (31 g), total intake of EtOH delivered might have induced a maximum EtOH dose of 0.19 g/kg, approximately. Taking into account previous work conducted at this age, (e.g., Molina et al, 2006) it could be estimated that blood ethanol levels (BELs) induced by the pre-exposure treatment can reach a maximal level of approximately 17 mg%.…”

Section: Pre-exposure and Intraoral Infusion Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Employment of the higher volume was chosen so as to deliver an EtOH dose approximately equivalent to 0.5 g/kg. Postadministration effects of this EtOH dose have been observed to exert appetitive effects in developing animals (Fernández-Vidal et al, 2003;Molina et al, 2006Molina et al, , 2007. Hence, total volume of EtOH infused was either 250 or 500 ul.…”

Section: First Conditioning Phase: Pups Were Introduced In Clear Plexmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant rats exhibit aversive learning mediated by ethanol's orosensory effects but are positively reinforced by ethanol's post-ingestive effects

Pautassi

Molina

Spear

2008

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior

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Previous work suggests aversive and appetitive hedonic effects of intraorally delivered EtOH in preweanling rats. Pups are reluctant to perform an operant response when reinforced with intraoral EtOH infusions, a result suggesting aversive orosensory properties of EtOH. Yet, postabsorptive effects of ethanol seem capable of supporting appetitive conditioning. Two experiments were conducted to test this phenomenon. Both included a pre-exposure phase (postnatal day 13, PD13) comprising intraoral stimulation with water or EtOH. In Experiment 1, pups were given pairings between a tactile conditioned stimulus (CS) and intraoral infusions of EtOH or water. A subsequent tactile preference test revealed that pups spent significantly less on the EtOH-related CS relative to time spent on the alternative CS. In Experiment 2 pups were exposed to a texture CS (sandpaper) while intraorally infused with EtOH or during a later EtOH postinfusion interval. A tactile locational test conducted on PD16 indicated that EtOH-preexposed animals that experienced sandpaper paired with EtOH's postabsorptive effects exhibited a significant preference for the CS, even relative to a control group that experienced non-reinforced exposure to the tactile CS during conditioning. These results confirm that intraoral ethanol acts as an aversive tastant. A brief pre-exposure to EtOH allows later expression of appetitive learning mediated by the drug's postingestive effects.

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Infantile Sensitivity to Ethanol's Motivational Effects: Ethanol Reinforcement During the Third Postnatal Week

Cited by 34 publications

References 78 publications

Acute sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol in preweanling rats with or without prenatal experience with the drug

Acute sensitivity and acute tolerance to ethanol in preweanling rats with or without prenatal experience with the drug

Experience-induced fetal plasticity: The effect of gestational ethanol exposure on the behavioral and neurophysiologic olfactory response to ethanol odor in early postnatal and adult rats.

Infant rats exhibit aversive learning mediated by ethanol's orosensory effects but are positively reinforced by ethanol's post-ingestive effects

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