An ontogenetic comparison of ethanol-mediated taste aversion learning and ethanol-induced hypothermia in preweanling rats.
To examine the interactive effects of ethanol (EtOH) and ambient temperature, 10-, 16-, and 20-day-old rat pups ingested pairings of sucrose solution and various doses of ethanol (intubated intragastrically) and were then exposed to relatively low or relatively high ambient temperatures. Ten- and 20-day-old pups required a higher EtOH dose than did 16-day old pups for conditioning of a sucrose aversion and for hypothermia. These age-related differences might be due to ontogenetic changes in the production and accumulation of acetaldehyde, a metabolite of EtOH. For all ages, EtOH-induced hypothermia was necessary for conditioning of the taste aversion, which is in accord with results of previous tests with adult rats (Cunningham, Hawks, & Niehus, 1988).
Hunt
P S
PS
Center for Developmental Psychobiology, State University of New York, Binghamton 13902-6000.
Spear
L P
LP
Spear
N E
NE
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*
D000431:Ethanol