Effects of ethanol consumption by adult female rats on subsequent consumption by adolescents
Effects of ethanol consumption by adult female rats on subsequent consumption by adolescents
Author
Honey, Lynne
Varley, Kevin
Galef Jr, Bennett
Faculty Advisor
Date
2004
Keywords
Ethanol , Rats , Early exposure , Social learning
Abstract (summary)
We used a two-bottle choice test to measure voluntary ethanol consumption by adolescent rats that had lived with ethanol-consuming or water-consuming adult conspecifics. We found that housing weanlings with either a virgin or a lactating adult female rat that ingested ethanol increased the weanlings' subsequent voluntary intake of ethanol when they were fluid-deprived and provided with choices between 8% ethanol solution and water for 2 h/day. Rats housed with both an ethanol-consuming virgin female and their water-consuming dam drank more ethanol than did rats housed with a dam and virgin female, both consuming water. Rats housed with an ethanol-consuming dam and ethanol consuming adult virgin did not drink more ethanol than did rats housed with an ethanol-consuming dam and a water-consuming virgin female.
In sum: (1) young rats learned socially to consume ethanol. (2) Exposure to ethanol in mother's milk was not necessary for such social learning to occur, and (3) living with an ethanol-consuming unfamiliar, virgin female conspecific resulted in enhanced ethanol intake by adolescent rats, even if a water-consuming dam was also present.
Publication Information
Honey, P.L., Varley, K.R. & Galef, B.G., Jr. (2004). Effects of ethanol consumption by adult female rats on subsequent consumption by adolescents. Appetite, 42, 299-306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2004.01.002
Notes
Item Type
Article
Language
English
Rights
All Rights Reserved
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