Work

Ethanol‐induced locomotor activity in adolescent rats and the relationship with ethanol‐induced conditioned place preference and conditioned taste aversion

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: Adolescent rats exhibit ethanol-induced locomotor activity (LMA), which is considered an index of ethanol's motivational properties likely to predict ethanol self-administration, but few studies have reported or correlated ethanol-induced LMA with conditioned place preference (CPP) by ethanol at this age. The present study assessed age-related differences in ethanol's motor stimulating effects and analyzed the association between ethanol-induced LMA and conventional measures of ethanol-induced reinforcement. Experiment 1 compared ethanol-induced LMA in adolescent and adult rats. Subsequent experiments analyzed ethanol-induced CPP and conditioned taste aversion (CTA) in adolescent rats evaluated for ethanol-induced LMA. Adolescent rats exhibit a robust LMA after high-dose ethanol. Ethanol-induced LMA was fairly similar across adolescents and adults. As expected, adolescents were sensitive to ethanol's aversive reinforcement, but they also exhibited CPP. These measures of ethanol reinforcement, however, were not related to ethanol-induced LMA. Spontaneous LMA in an open field was, however, negatively associated with ethanol-induced CTA.

Source: Developmental Psychobiology

DOI: 10.1002/dev.21048

Authors: María Belén Acevedo, Michael E. Nizhnikov, Norman E. Spear, Juan C. Molina, Ricardo M. Pautassi

Institutions: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra, Binghamton University, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Language: English

Topic: Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism