title: Differences in ethanol drinking between mice selected for high and low swim stress-induced analgesia.
abstract: Alcoholism is a complex disorder, still not fully understood, in which environmental and inherited risk factors play essential roles. Of particular importance may be chronic exposure to stress thought to increase preference for ethanol in genetically susceptible individuals. Animal and human data suggest that the opioid system may be involved in the development of alcohol dependence. We studied the effects of chronic mild stress (CMS) on the voluntary intake of 8% ethanol in the mouse lines displaying high (HA) or low (LA) swim stress-induced analgesia. These lines differ in the activity of the endogenous opioid system. Normally, 8% ethanol is aversive to rodents. We found that LA mice with the low opioid system activity exposed to CMS manifested greater ethanol intake than under no stress conditions. No such effect of CMS on ethanol consumption was observed in HA mice that display the enhanced opioid system activity. We conclude that CMS imposed on individuals with a genetically determined low opioid activity may favor the development of ethanol abuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Cytogenetics, Medical Research Center, Polish Academy of Sciences, Jastrzebiec, Wolka Kosowska, Poland. M.Sacharczuk@ighz.pl
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sacharczuk
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Juszczak
authors.forename: Adam T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Sliwa
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tymosiak-Zielinska
authors.forename: Pawel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lisowski
authors.forename: Kazimierz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jaszczak
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pluta
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lipkowski
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sadowski
authors.forename: Artur H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Swiergiel