Co-existence of ethanol-related respiratory and motivational learning processes based on a tactile discrimination procedure in neonatal rats

Fetal Alcohol Programming of Subsequent Alcohol Affinity: A Review Based on Preclinical, Clinical and Epidemiological Studies

“…It is also important to note that those pups that were always treated with vehicle later exhibited very low levels of preference towards the tactile cue associated with the administration procedure. This apparent conditioned aversion was completely absent in pups previously exposed to the drug (D'Aloisio et al, 2019). Given these results, it can be argued that fetal alcohol programming leading to subsequent EtOH affinity implies the interaction between two non-mutually exclusive motivational properties of the drug: it's positive as well as its antianxiety effects.…”

Moderate ethanol exposure during early ontogeny of the rat alters respiratory plasticity, ultrasonic distress vocalizations, increases brain catalase activity, and acetaldehyde-mediated ethanol intake

“…response to low oxygen environment in neonates, infants, and adults (Dubois et al, 2006(Dubois et al, , 2008(Dubois et al, , 2013Kervern et al, 2009;Dubois and Pierrefiche, 2020). However, while effects on the respiratory system seems due to chronic exposure to ethanol, our data along with recent studies show that brief fetal and neonatal experiences with a moderate ethanol dose are sufficient to functionally disrupt the respiratory plasticity of the organisms under associative and non-associative learning processes (Cullere et al, 2015;Macchione et al, 2016Macchione et al, , 2018Macchione et al, , 2021Acevedo et al, 2017a;D'aloisio et al, 2020;Anunziata et al, 2021).…”

“…Neonates received 8 intraoral infusions of the corresponding substance using an infusion pump (KD Scientific, Model 200, Holliston, MA, USA). Each liquid pulse was set to last 1 min while the inter-pulse duration was equivalent to 4 min, as previously described ( Miranda-Morales et al, 2016 ; Acevedo et al, 2017a ; D’aloisio et al, 2020 ). The overall amount of liquid infused was equivalent to 5.5% of the average pre-infusion body weight.…”

“…Such early experiences not only generate sensitivity to the positive motivational effects of ethanol but also sensitize the organism to the consequences of ethanol upon respiratory plasticity. Brief experiences with moderate doses of ethanol during late gestation (Cullere et al, 2015) or within the first postnatal week that generate respiratory disruptions indicative of sensitization processes (Cullere et al, 2015;Macchione et al, 2016Macchione et al, , 2018Macchione et al, , 2021Acevedo et al, 2017a;D'aloisio et al, 2020). Moreover, the association of a salient odor stimulus (e.g., ethanol) in the presence of ethanol-related respiratory disruptions, elicit later conditioned breathing depressions and increase the occurrence of apneic episodes (Cullere et al, 2015;Macchione et al, 2016Macchione et al, , 2018.…”

“…The intragastric experience with low doses of ethanol (0.25, 0.5, or 1.25 g/kg) during PD 14 reduces an odor avoidance response at PD 15 ( Pautassi et al, 2006 ) and increases the time spent in the illuminated area in a light/dark box test with a 0.5 g/kg ethanol dose at PD 16 ( Miranda-Morales et al, 2014 ). Recent studies also suggested that early anxiolytic effects of ethanol, as apneic episodes during PDs 3–7 are reduced after repeated intracisternal administrations of a high ethanol dose (300 mg%, Trujillo et al, 2020 ) and after intragastric administrations of low or moderate ethanol doses (0.75, 1.37, and 2.0 g/kg) during PDs 3–9 ( D’aloisio et al, 2020 ; Anunziata et al, 2021 ). Binge-like ethanol exposure (3.0 g/kg) during PDs 4–10 decreases ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) – considered as a proxy of anxiety- on PD 14 ( Barron and Gilbertson, 2005 ) and a low dose of ethanol (0.5 g/kg) exerts a protected effect on maternal separation stress-induced vocalizations on PD 14 ( Pautassi et al, 2007 ).…”