Maternal environment influences cocaine intake in adulthood in a genotype-dependent manner.
BACKGROUND
Accumulating epidemiological evidence points to the role of genetic background as a modulator of the capacity of adverse early experiences to give rise to mental illness. However, direct evidence of such gene-environment interaction in the context of substance abuse is scarce. In the present study we investigated whether the impact of early life experiences on cocaine intake in adulthood depends on genetic background. In addition, we studied other behavioral dimensions associated with drug abuse, i.e. anxiety- and depression-related behaviors.


RESULTS
For this purpose, we manipulated the maternal environment of two inbred mouse strains, the C57BL/6J and DBA/2J by fostering them with non-related mothers, i.e. the C3H/HeN and AKR strains. These mother strains show respectively high and low pup-oriented behavior. As adults, C57BL/6J and DBA/2J were tested either for cocaine intravenous self-administration or in the elevated plus-maze and forced swim test (FST). We found that the impact of maternal environment on cocaine use and a depression-related behavior depends upon genotype, as cocaine self-administration and behavior in the FST were influenced by maternal environment in DBA/2J, but not in C57BL/6J mice. Anxiety was not influenced by maternal environment in either strain.


CONCLUSIONS
Our experimental approach could contribute to the identification of the psychobiological factors determining the susceptibility or the resilience of certain individuals to develop psychopathologies.
van der Veen
Rixt
R
U862, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, Bordeaux, France.
Koehl
Muriel
M
Abrous
D Nora
DN
de Kloet
E Ronald
ER
Piazza
Pier-Vincenzo
PV
Deroche-Gamonet
Véronique
V
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003042:Cocaine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D012646:Self Administration
D003042:Cocaine