Effects of ethanol exposure in a familiar or isolated context during infancy on ethanol intake during adolescence.
Early exposure to ethanol affects ethanol intake later in life. This early experience encompasses exposure to social stimuli and the pharmacological and orosensory properties of ethanol. The specific contribution of each type of stimulus to subsequent ethanol intake remains unknown. We assessed the intake of various concentrations of ethanol in a familiar or isolated context during infancy and the lingering effects of this experience on ethanol intake during adolescence. On postnatal day 3 (PD3), PD7, and PD11, rats were given 5% ethanol or water in a nursing or isolated context (Experiments 1 and 2). Intake tests (ethanol vs. water) were conducted during adolescence. Experiment 2 matched the amount of fluid ingested during infancy in both contexts and subsequently tested ethanol consumption during adolescence. The results revealed a facilitative effect of the nursing context on fluid intake during the tests in infancy. Pups stimulated with ethanol but not water in the isolated context exhibited an increase in ethanol consumption during adolescence. This effect disappeared when the isolated infants were matched to receive the same amount of ethanol ingested by their nursed counterparts. In Experiment 3, isolated infant rats were exposed to different ethanol concentrations (.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0%), and drug consumption was tested during adolescence. This exposure increased adolescent ethanol intake, regardless of the alcohol concentration (Experiment 3). The common denominators that resulted in enhanced ethanol intake during adolescence were preexposure to ethanol via active consumption of the drug that induced a low-to-moderate level of intoxication in an isolated context.
['Miranda-Morales|Roberto Sebastián|RS|', 'Haymal|Beatriz|B|', 'Pautassi|Ricardo M|RM|']
D000367:Age Factors D000818:Animals D001522:Behavior, Animal D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants D004327:Drinking Behavior D000431:Ethanol D005260:Female D008297:Male D008426:Maternal Deprivation D051381:Rats D017208:Rats, Wistar D012934:Social Isolation
ethanol adolescent nursing infant home environment