Effects of chronic intermittent ethanol vapor exposure in adolescent and female mice

Monday, September 22, 2014 — Poster Session I
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.	FAES Academic Center	NIAAA	NEURO-12

* FARE Award Winner

Authors

• NJ Jury
• A Holmes

Abstract

Many studies have attempted to identify the cause(s) of alcohol dependency. However, the majority of these studies have only utilized adult, male subjects. In order to fully understand the etiology of alcohol dependency and the effects of chronic alcohol abuse future studies should also include female and adolescent subjects as well. A growing body of literature has demonstrated various behavioral and neural effects of chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) exposure in mice. The goal of the current study was to examine the behavioral effects of CIE in male and female adolescent and adult C57BL/6J mice. Results showed that CIE produced ethanol tolerance (as compare to controls), irrespective of age or sex. CIE exposure led to an increase in ethanol consumption and/or preference in adult male mice, but not in adolescents or females. These novel findings suggest there are differential effects of CIE on ethanol drinking in adolescent and female mice. The current results establish evidence for future studies on how age and sex modify the lasting consequences of chronic ethanol exposure, with potential implications for understanding how these factors influence risk for alcoholism in humans.

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