title: Effects of ethanol and caffeine on behavior in C57BL/6 mice in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Caffeine is frequently consumed concurrent to or immediately following ethanol consumption. Identifying how caffeine and ethanol interact to modulate behavior is essential to understanding the co-use of these drugs. The plus-maze discriminative avoidance task (PMDAT) allows within-subject measurement of learning, anxiety, and locomotion.
  
  
  METHODS
  For training, each mouse was placed in the center of the plus-maze for 5 min, and each time that the mouse entered the aversive enclosed arm, a light and white noise were turned on. At testing, each mouse was returned to the center of the maze for 3 min. No cues were turned on during testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ethanol (1.0-1.4 g/kg) dose-dependently decreased anxiety and learning, and increased locomotion. Caffeine (5.0-40.0 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased anxiety and decreased locomotion and learning. Caffeine failed to reverse ethanol-induced learning deficits. However, 1.4 g/kg ethanol blocked the anxiogenic effect of caffeine.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although caffeine and ethanol interact to modulate behavior in the PMDAT, caffeine does not reverse ethanol-induced learning deficits. Ethanol-induced anxiolysis may contribute to alcohol consumption, while ethanol's blockade of caffeine-induced anxiogenesis may contribute to co-use.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Neuroscience Program, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gulick
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Gould
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine; D000431:Ethanol