C57BL/6J mice showed dose dependent devreases in locomotor activity with increasing IP doses of ethanol (0.0, 0.75, 1.50 and 2.25 g/kg), while BALB/cJ mice showed dose dependent increases in activity; both strains were equally active with saline. Whether this finding represents decreased CNS responsivity in C57BL mice to ethanol's excitatory effect or increased response to its depressant action at sub-hypnotic doses is unclear, since anesthetic doses produce anesthesia of far shorter duration in the C57BL strain than in the BALB strain. It is possible that the biphasic action of alcohol is under the control of separate and distinct mechanisms, rather than a common one, and that these two mechanisms are differentially affected by alcohol. Endogenous as well as ethanol-induced neurochemical differences in biogenic amines may also be correlated with the gentic variation in CNS responsivity towards alcohol.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic aspects of tolerance and dependence. Rapporteurs' report.

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Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Pre-pregnancy alcohol experience attenuates typical decrease in gestational alcohol consumption in mice.

The influence of pre-pregnancy alcohol consumption on alcohol self-selection during pregnancy and lactation was examined in C57BL mice. One group of animals was given a two-bottle choice between water and a 10% w/v ethanol solution for three weeks prior to breeding, throughout pregnancy, and during lactation, while a second group was given the alcohol-water choice beginning on the first day of pregnancy. Relative alcohol intake (g ethanol/kg body weight) as well as alcohol "preference" decreased below pre-pregnancy levels during both pregnancy and lactation. That is, voluntary alcohol consumption was attenuated in pregnant and lactating mice, regardless of strain-typical pre-pregnancy high consumption. However, mice given a choice between alcohol and water prior to pregnancy did not decrease their alcohol consumption during pregnancy as much as mice not given the pre-pregnancy alcohol choice. There was no correlation between pre-pregnancy alcohol consumption and subsequent intake. The mechanism underlying decreased voluntary alcohol consumption during pregnancy remains to be elucidated, but it is clear that prior experience with alcohol influences the phenomenon.

Alcohol Drinking↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Stereotypic wall climbing in mice during ethanol withdrawal: a new measure of physical dependence.

A new potentially useful measure for assessing physical dependence in mice chronically exposed to ethanol is described. C3H/He mice continuously exposed to ethanol vapor for four (Experiment 1) or three (Experiment 2) days spent more time engaged in stereotypic climbing behavior than controls. This stereotypic climbing behavior correlated well, both temporally as well as in intensity, with other previously described signs of ethanol withdrawal. All measures of withdrawal behavior (including climbing) peaked at eight hours after withdrawal and returned to control levels by 30-33 hours. The utility of this behavioral assay for assessing physical dependence on ethanol is further discussed with reference to possible underlying neurochemical events.

Alcoholism↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on scentmarking in the C57BL/6J and C3H/He mouse strains.

In utero exposure to ethanol has been shown to alter sexually dimorphic behaviors in rats. However, it is not clear whether this phenomenon is robust in other species, such as the mouse, which is sensitive to ethanol-induced birth defects. Further, it is not known whether significant differences exist across murine strains. If similar to the classic teratogenic effects of ethanol, it would be expected that strain differences in sensitivity should be evident, with some strains demonstrating an alteration in sexually dimorphic behavior and other strains demonstrating little or no effect. As a first attempt to address these issues, we have examined two mouse strains widely used in prenatal alcohol research, the inbred C3H/He and C57BL/6J strains. Scentmarking was selected as the behavior of interest. It is robustly sexually dimorphic in the rat and mouse, with males marking more than females and preliminary reports have demonstrated that in utero ethanol exposure reduces this behavior in the male rat. In the mouse strains selected for study, pregnant females were provided with either a liquid diet consisting of 25% ethanol-derived calories or pair-fed an isocaloric liquid diet from gestation days 6-18. An additional control group was included which was fed laboratory chow ad lib throughout gestation. Male and female offspring of each strain were tested for scentmarking at 65-75 days of age. As expected, results showed that the effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on scentmarking varied with both strain and sex. In the C3H/He strain, scentmarking was reduced significantly in male ethanol-exposed offspring (i.e., the males were feminized).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗