In both humans and animals prenatal exposure to ethanol increases susceptibility to subsequent ethanol abuse and alters related aspects of responsiveness to ethanol. Postnatal exposure to ethanol also has been found to increase later ethanol intake and related aspects of responsiveness to ethanol in animals. Early onset of ethanol use in adolescence or even pre-adolescence has been shown to be associated with a greater probability of ethanol abuse in adulthood, although causality in these studies with humans has yet to be demonstrated. One determinant of ingestion and related responsiveness to ethanol during early adolescence may be still earlier exposure to ethanol, a possibility to be explored in the present experiments. Toward improvement over previous experimental procedures in which early ethanol exposure occurs in relatively stressful circumstances, we propose to provide early exposure to ethanol in relatively nonstressful, ecologically representative circumstances and assess the consequences for responsiveness to ethanol in adolescence. Our preliminary results indicate that as adolescents, the offspring of dams living with their litter in large enclosures and free to consume ethanol ad libitum chose to drink relatively large amounts of ethanol. The present proposal is to determine the ontogenetic locus of this effect -- whether exposure during gestation, lactation or weaning is differentially effective -- and to determine controlling parameters of this effect. The second proposed step is to assess the breadth of consequences from these forms of early exposure for several key indices of responsiveness to ethanol during adolescence.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
5R21AA012762-02
Application #
6509392
Study Section
Health Services Research Review Subcommittee (AA)
Program Officer
Witt, Ellen
Project Start
2001-07-01
Project End
2004-06-30
Budget Start
2002-07-01
Budget End
2003-06-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$150,500
Indirect Cost
Name
State University of NY, Binghamton
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
090189965
City
Binghamton
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
13902
Nizhnikov, Michael E; Molina, Juan C; Spear, Norman E (2007) Central reinforcing effects of ethanol are blocked by catalase inhibition. Alcohol 41:525-34
Truxell, Eric M; Molina, Juan C; Spear, Norman E (2007) Ethanol intake in the juvenile, adolescent, and adult rat: effects of age and prior exposure to ethanol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 31:755-65
Nizhnikov, Michael E; Molina, Juan Carlos; Varlinskaya, Elena I et al. (2006) Prenatal ethanol exposure increases ethanol reinforcement in neonatal rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 30:34-45
Nizhnikov, Michael E; Varlinskaya, Elena I; Spear, Norman E (2006) Reinforcing effects of central ethanol injections in newborn rat pups. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 30:2089-96
Molina, Juan Carlos; Ponce, Luciano Federico; Truxell, Eric et al. (2006) Infantile sensitivity to ethanol's motivational effects: Ethanol reinforcement during the third postnatal week. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 30:1506-19
Spear, Norman E; Molina, Juan C (2005) Fetal or infantile exposure to ethanol promotes ethanol ingestion in adolescence and adulthood: a theoretical review. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 29:909-29
Abate, Paula; Pepino, M Yanina; Spear, Norman E et al. (2004) Fetal learning with ethanol: correlations between maternal hypothermia during pregnancy and neonatal responsiveness to chemosensory cues of the drug. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28:805-15
Ponce, Luciano F; Pautassi, Ricardo M; Spear, Norman E et al. (2004) Nursing from an ethanol-intoxicated dam induces short- and long-term disruptions in motor performance and enhances later self-administration of the drug. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28:1039-50
Truxell, Eric; Spear, Norman E (2004) Immediate acceptance of ethanol in infant rats: ontogenetic differences with moderate but not high ethanol concentration. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28:1200-11
Pepino, Marta Yanina; Abate, Paula; Spear, Norman E et al. (2004) Heightened ethanol intake in infant and adolescent rats after nursing experiences with an ethanol-intoxicated dam. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 28:895-905

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