People that first experiment with alcohol as adolescents are at a greater risk to become alcoholics. This proposal will use ethanol sensitization to aid in the understanding of ethanol-induced neuroadaptations that occur during adolescence as compared to adulthood. In order to determine differences in the development of ethanol sensitization between adult and adolescent mice, the dose response and time course to ethanol sensitization will be examined. The research in this application will use Fos-like immunohistochemistry to identify brain regions involved in adolescent and adult ethanol sensitization. In order to identify a possible mechanism for ethanol sensitization, metabotropic glutamate receptors will be examined,as these receptors are developmental regulated and expressed in brain regions important for addiction. Pharmacological manipulation of mGluRS and mGluR2/3 will be used to establish a role for these receptors in ethanol sensitization in adolescent and adult mice. This proposal will also determine if adolescent sensitization will lead to increased ethanol self-administration in adulthood, which is important to understand the neuroadaptations underlying the link between adolescent alcohol use and increased risk of alcoholism. ? ? ?
| Stevenson, Rebekah A; Besheer, Joyce; Hodge, Clyde W (2008) Comparison of ethanol locomotor sensitization in adolescent and adult DBA/2J mice. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 197:361-70 |
