title: Maternal environment influences cocaine intake in adulthood in a genotype-dependent manner.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: U862, Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Rixt
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koehl
authors.forename: D Nora
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Abrous
authors.forename: E Ronald
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: de Kloet
authors.forename: Pier-Vincenzo
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Piazza
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Deroche-Gamonet
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine