Male and female sexual behavior potential of male rats prenatally exposed to the influence of alcohol, stress, or both factors.

Ward, Ingeborg L.; Ward, O. Byron; Winn, Robert J.; Bielawski, Dawn M.

doi:10.1037/0735-7044.108.6.1188

Cited by 66 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…This finding could explain why ethanol exposed males show a higher persistent non-mater rate [40] since high basal levels of a met-enkephalin precursor neuropeptide in the hypothalamus are present in persistent non-maters [30].Additionally, administration of the opioid antagonist naloxone converts persistent non-maters into successful maters [11]. It is possible that the high rate of persistent non-maters in males prenatally exposed to ethanol may be reversed by the administration of naloxone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Perinatal ethanol exposure alters met-enkephalin levels of male and female rats

Lugo¹,

Wilson²,

Kelly³

2006

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

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This study used a rat model of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome to investigate whether combined prenatal and postnatal ethanol exposure affects met-enkephalin levels in the brains of male and female Long-Evans adult rats. Intragastric ethanol was administered to a group of rats (ET) from gestational day (GD) 1 through 22 and from postnatal day (PD) 2 through 10. The control groups consisted of a nontreated control group (NTC) and an intubated control group (IC) that received the intragastric intubation procedure but no exposure to ethanol. We measured met-enkephalin levels in the prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, central and basolateral nucleus of amygdala and ventral tegmental area. Met-enkephalin levels in the hypothalamus of male and female ET animals were significantly higher than those in either the NTC or IC animals. Metenkephalin levels in the central nucleus of the amygdala of male and female ET animals were significantly lower than the levels in the NTC animals. Met-enkephalin levels in the nucleus accumbens of ET females were significantly greater than those in the IC females. These results demonstrate that the combination of prenatal and postnatal ethanol exposure affects basal metenkephalin levels in specific regions in a sex-specific manner. These changes in met-enkephalin levels may explain how early ethanol exposure affects opioid-regulated behaviors such as social play, sexual behavior, and other social behaviors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Perinatal ethanol exposure alters met-enkephalin levels of male and female rats

Lugo¹,

Wilson²,

Kelly³

2006

Neurotoxicology and Teratology

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“…For example, the change in testosterone levels may contribute to the female-like juvenile play [37] and active social interactions [32], the feminized patterns of social partner preference [38], and the decrease in the ano-genital distance [10] seen in ethanol-exposed males. Ethanol-exposed males are more likely to exhibit lordosis behavior [39] and are less likely to ejaculate [9]. The decrease in masculinization may also be responsible for the decrease in aggression behavior seen in the current study, since female rats typically show low levels of aggression [14,40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…Prenatal ethanol exposure produces a feminizing effect on male sexual behavior, which is believed to result from decreased testosterone levels [9]. Ethanol exposure from GD 12 to PD 10 decreases testosterone in male rats on PD 55 and PD 110 [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, they found that while prenatal stress suppresses prenatal and does not affect postnatal testosterone, ethanol exposure enhances prenatal and suppresses postnatal testosterone levels [11,12,41]. Prenatal exposure to ethanol and stress combined have the most dramatic feminizing effect on male sexual behavior [9]. The current ethanol administration procedures involve intubations during the prenatal and postnatal periods and two tail nicks (one during each of the prenatal and postnatal period) and intubations and tail nicks are clearly acute stressors.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effect of ethanol exposure during the entire gestation period and during early postnatal development (i.e. a period equivalent to all the trimesters in the human) on aggression has not been previously examined.Prenatal ethanol exposure produces a feminizing effect on male sexual behavior, which is believed to result from decreased testosterone levels [9]. Ethanol exposure from GD 12 to PD 10 decreases testosterone in male rats on PD 55 and PD 110 [10].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Ethanol exposure during development reduces resident aggression and testosterone in rats

Lugo

Marino

Gass

et al. 2006

Physiology & Behavior

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Ethanol exposure during development has been shown to alter social behaviors in people, but the range of deficits is not clear. Using an animal model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, intermale aggression and testosterone levels were examined in adult rats. Rats were exposed to ethanol during the entire prenatal period and from postnatal day 2 through 10. Ethanol was administered via intragastric intubation. Two other groups consisted of a nontreated control and an intubated control group that was exposed to the administration procedures but not ethanol. Both offensive and defensive aggression were examined in experimental residents and intruders under three different housing conditions for the resident males: (1) with another male, (2) with a pregnant female, and (3) with a female and litter fathered by the experimental animal. When housed with a female and litter, ethanol-exposed rats displayed reduced offensive aggression compared to control groups under the same condition. Defensive aggression in the non-experimental intruders was reduced in this same condition. There were no differences in duration of non-aggressive social behaviors among the groups in any of the housing conditions. Testosterone levels were reduced in ethanol-exposed rats compared to controls. In summary, ethanol exposure over the combined prenatal and postnatal periods reduces aggressive behavior in a condition where aggressive behavior is normally seen. This reduction may be related to lower testosterone levels. KeywordsFetal alcohol syndrome; Aggression; Resident-intruder paradigm; Social behavior; Prenatal alcohol Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) describes those individuals who manifest mild to severe disturbances of physical, behavioral, emotional, and/or social functioning due to in utero ethanol exposure. FASD individuals are found to commit high rate of crimes against others, engage in inappropriate sexual behavior, and are described as having a failure to consider the consequences of their actions [1,2]. Even though FASD individuals show high rates of crime, no direct measures of aggressive behaviors or testosterone in FAS individuals have been conducted. [3][4][5][6]; ethanol exposure from gestation day (GD) 6 to 19 increases offensive aggression in rats [7]. Ethanol exposure during the last four days of pregnancy and from postnatal day (PD) 1 to PD 4 increases aggression, while ethanol exposure confined to the period from PD 1 to 4 did not affect aggressive behavior in mice [8]. However, another study found that ethanol exposure from birth until PD 14 decreases aggression in mice [6]. These studies suggest that prenatal ethanol exposure may increase aggression, while postnatal ethanol exposure may decrease aggression. However, many of the early studies used ethanol administration procedures that were confounded by nutritional effects [4][5][6]8] or resulted in minimal transfer of ethanol to the pup [6]. The effect of ethanol exposure during the entire gestation period and during early postnatal development (i.e...

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Foster mother care but not prenatal morphine exposure enhances cocaine self‐administration in young adult male and female rats

Vathy

Šlamberová

Liu

2007

Developmental Psychobiology

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The present study was designed to investigate cocaine self-administration in adult male and female rats exposed prenatally to morphine. Pregnant dams were injected two times a day with either saline, analgesic doses of morphine or no drug at all (controls) on gestation Days 11-18. One day after birth, litters were cross-fostered such that control dams were paired with one another and their litters were crossed; saline- and morphine-treated dams were paired and half of each saline litter was crossed with half of each morphine litter. Thus, each mother (control, saline, and morphine) raised half of her own and half of the adopted litter. At the age of 60 days, males and females were trained first to lever press for sucrose pellets and then for cocaine. Once the lever-pressing behavior was learned and baseline level of this activity was established, animals received a cocaine (.5 mg/kg per infusion) reward for each correct response on the active lever during the next 9-day session. The data demonstrate that adult control, saline- and morphine-exposed male rats self-administer cocaine at a similar rate independent of their prenatal treatment. Adult female rats self-administer cocaine at a higher rate than male rats. Further, saline- and morphine-exposed females in diestrus self-administer more than females in proestrus phase of the estrous cycle, while control females show no such differences. In addition, fostering induces increase in cocaine self-administration in all groups of male rats regardless of prenatal drug exposure. In females, the only fostering-induced increase is in prenatally saline-exposed female rats raised by morphine-treated foster mother. Thus, our results suggest that the prenatal drug exposure does not induce changes in lever-pressing behavior for cocaine reward in adult male and female rats, but it sensitizes the animals to postnatal stimuli such as gonadal hormones and/or rearing conditions that result in increased drug self-administration.

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Male and female sexual behavior potential of male rats prenatally exposed to the influence of alcohol, stress, or both factors.

Cited by 66 publications

References 41 publications

Perinatal ethanol exposure alters met-enkephalin levels of male and female rats

Perinatal ethanol exposure alters met-enkephalin levels of male and female rats

Ethanol exposure during development reduces resident aggression and testosterone in rats

Foster mother care but not prenatal morphine exposure enhances cocaine self‐administration in young adult male and female rats

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