The Influence of Cross-Fostering on Alcohol Consumption and Depressive-Like Behaviors in HA and LA Mice: The Role of the Endogenous Opioid System

Abstract

The development of alcohol dependence and depression is determined by various genetic and environmental factors. In the presented study, we used high analgesia (HA) and low analgesia (LA) mouse lines, characterized by different endogenous opioid system activity and divergent blood–brain barrier permeability, to determine the influence of cross-fostering of these lines raised by surrogate mothers on ethanol consumption and development of depressive-like behaviors. We also investigated ethanol drinking by biological parents or surrogate mothers. Furthermore, we investigated whether these parental changes would alter the effect of naloxone on ethanol intake and depressive-like behaviors in offspring. Our results reveal that cross-fostering of HA and LA raised by surrogate mothers has a greater impact on depressive-like behaviors than ethanol consumption. Ethanol intake by biological parents substantially affected depressive-like behaviors and ethanol consumption in offspring. Moreover, ethanol intake by biological parents or an adoptive mother modified the effect of naloxone on ethanol consumption and preference and depressive-like behaviors in the HA offspring only. Together, these results indicate that cross-fostering differentially affects the effect of naloxone on alcohol consumption and the development of depression.

Methylmercury plus Ethanol Exposure: How Much Does This Combination Affect Emotionality?

“…Robust literature has identified EtOH intake as a risk factor in depression [ 73 , 74 ]. Interestingly, the relationship between EtOH consumption and depression-like phenotype sex-dependently has been proposed, including epigenetic factors as predisposing factors for depressive-like behavior induced by parental EtOH exposure [ 75 ]. In this sense, we highlight those emotional disorders involving EtOH consumption depends on multiple factors such as dose, period of consumption, developmental stages, and sex [ 76 , 77 ].…”

“…Our group has explored chronic EtOH intake patterns during perinatal and adolescence life, mainly by the heavy or binge drinking paradigm in rats [ 1 , 23 , 24 , 85 ]. All these EtOH challenges indicated persistent anxiogenic responses, associated to reduction in the volume of hippocampal formation, alteration of nitrergic activity, as well as cellular disturbance (i.e., neurons, astrocytes, and microglia) on the hippocampus [ 1 , 23 , 24 , 46 , 75 , 85 ]. In addition, BDNF level reduction and astrocyte activation have been described [ 76 ].…”