title: Effects of ethanol exposure in a familiar or isolated context during infancy on ethanol intake during adolescence.
abstract: Early exposure to ethanol affects ethanol intake later in life. This early experience encompasses exposure to social stimuli and the pharmacological and orosensory properties of ethanol. The specific contribution of each type of stimulus to subsequent ethanol intake remains unknown. We assessed the intake of various concentrations of ethanol in a familiar or isolated context during infancy and the lingering effects of this experience on ethanol intake during adolescence. On postnatal day 3 (PD3), PD7, and PD11, rats were given 5% ethanol or water in a nursing or isolated context (Experiments 1 and 2). Intake tests (ethanol vs. water) were conducted during adolescence. Experiment 2 matched the amount of fluid ingested during infancy in both contexts and subsequently tested ethanol consumption during adolescence. The results revealed a facilitative effect of the nursing context on fluid intake during the tests in infancy. Pups stimulated with ethanol but not water in the isolated context exhibited an increase in ethanol consumption during adolescence. This effect disappeared when the isolated infants were matched to receive the same amount of ethanol ingested by their nursed counterparts. In Experiment 3, isolated infant rats were exposed to different ethanol concentrations (.0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0%), and drug consumption was tested during adolescence. This exposure increased adolescent ethanol intake, regardless of the alcohol concentration (Experiment 3). The common denominators that resulted in enhanced ethanol intake during adolescence were preexposure to ethanol via active consumption of the drug that induced a low-to-moderate level of intoxication in an isolated context.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina.|Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Roberto Sebastián
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Miranda-Morales
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haymal
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra (INIMEC-CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba), Córdoba, Argentina.|Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pautassi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004327:Drinking Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012934:Social Isolation
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
keywords: adolescent; ethanol; home environment; infant; nursing