Effects of ethanol consumption by adult female rats on subsequent consumption by adolescents.
We used a two-bottle choice test to measure voluntary ethanol consumption by adolescent rats that had lived with ethanol-consuming or water-consuming adult conspecifics. We found that housing weanlings with either a virgin or a lactating adult female rat that ingested ethanol increased the weanlings' subsequent voluntary intake of ethanol when they were fluid-deprived and provided with choices between 8% ethanol solution and water for 2 h/day. Rats housed with both an ethanol-consuming virgin female and their water-consuming dam drank more ethanol than did rats housed with a dam and virgin female, both consuming water. Rats housed with an ethanol-consuming dam and ethanol consuming adult virgin did not drink more ethanol than did rats housed with an ethanol-consuming dam and a water-consuming virgin female. In sum: (1) young rats learned socially to consume ethanol. (2) Exposure to ethanol in mother's milk was not necessary for such social learning to occur, and (3) living with an ethanol-consuming unfamiliar, virgin female conspecific resulted in enhanced ethanol intake by adolescent rats, even if a water-consuming dam was also present.
Honey
P Lynne
PL
Department of Psychology and Sociology, Grant MacEwan College, Edmonton, Alta., Canada T5J 4S2. honey1@macewan.ca
Varley
Kevin R
KR
Galef
Bennett G
BG
D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012919:Social Behavior; D014867:Water / Q000008:administration & dosage
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol