title: Sex differences in sensitivity to the social consequences of acute ethanol and social drinking during adolescence.
abstract: In human adolescents, sociable males frequently drink to enhance positive emotional states, whereas anxious females often drink to avoid negative affective states. This study used a rat model of adolescence to provide information regarding possible sex differences in contributors to social drinking. The effects of ethanol (0, 0.5, and 0.75g/kg) on play fighting and social preference were assessed on P30, P32, and P34 using a within-subject design. Then animals were tested in a social drinking paradigm (P37-P40), with this testing revealing high drinkers and low drinkers. Sex differences in sensitivity to ethanol emerged among high and low drinkers. High socially drinking males, but not females, when tested prior to drinking sessions, showed significant increases in play fighting at both doses. In low drinking males, play fighting was increased by 0.5g/kg ethanol, whereas the higher dose of 0.75g/kg produced significant decreases in play fighting. High drinking females initially showed low levels of social preference than high drinking males and low drinking females and were extremely sensitive to ethanol-induced enhancement of this social measure. Low social drinkers, both males and females, were more sensitive to the suppressing effects of ethanol on social preference following 0.75g/kg ethanol. These findings indicate that during adolescence enhanced sensitivity to the facilitating effects of ethanol on play fighting is associated with heavy drinking among males, whereas low social preference together with high sensitivity to ethanol-induced enhancement of social preference is related to high social drinking in females.
authors.affiliation: Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA. Electronic address: varlinsk@binghamton.edu.
authors.forename: Elena I
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Varlinskaya
authors.affiliation: Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA.
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Truxell
authors.affiliation: Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA.
authors.forename: Linda P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Spear
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000523:psychology; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol
keywords: Adolescence; Ethanol intake; Female; Male; Rat; Social responsiveness