title: The importance of housing conditions on behavioral sensitization and tolerance to ethanol.
abstract: The differential outcomes of social isolation and crowding environment on the effects of single or repeated administration of ethanol on open-field behavior were examined in female mice. Whereas housing conditions did not alter the increase in locomotor activity induced by ethanol single administration, behavioral sensitization (a progressive increase of a drug effect following repeated drug administration) to the locomotor activating effect of ethanol was significantly greater in crowded mice as compared to isolated and control groups. Single administration of ethanol significantly decreased rearing frequency and increased immobility duration, there being tolerance to these ethanol behavior effects after repeated treatment. Social isolation attenuated the increase in immobility behavior induced by single administration of ethanol and potentiated the tolerance of ethanol-induced rearing decrease, verified after repeated treatment. These results point out that both sensitization and tolerance to the behavioral effects of ethanol can be critically influenced by housing conditions.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicobiologia, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nilza Pereira
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Camarini
authors.forename: Maria Lucia O
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Souza-Formigoni
authors.forename: Rita C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Vanessa C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Abílio
authors.forename: Regina H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Victor Proença
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Ricardo
authors.forename: Rosana de Alencar
authors.initials: Rde A
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frussa-Filho
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D012934:Social Isolation
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol