D-113 | Alcohol consumption during pregnancy alters, in the drinking mother, subsequent alcohol sensitivity

Neurochemistry and Neuropharmacology
Author: Pedro Peñalver Abed | Email: pedro.penalver.abed@mi.unc.edu.ar

Pedro Peñalver Abed^1°, Camila Ravasi^1°2°, Luana Fornero^1°,  Aranza Wille-Bille^2°, Ricardo Pautassi^1°2°

^1° Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Psicología. Córdoba, Argentina
^2° Instituto de Investigación Médica M. y M. Ferreyra, INIMEC-CONICET-UNC, Córdoba, Argentina.

Alcohol consumption is highly prevalent among pregnant women, which has motivated preclinical studies on the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. This exposure can trigger neurocognitive alterations in offspring, including changes in alcohol sensitivity that are precursors to alcohol use disorders. However, the effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy on the pregnant woman herself and her subsequent alcohol intake trajectories have been much less investigated. This experiment assessed, in a preclinical mouse model, the effects of voluntary alcohol consumption (0% -controls- or 10% v/v solution) via a ‘drinking in the dark’ (DID) protocol (2 hours/day, four times a week, from gestational day 9 to postnatal day 5) on sensitivity to alcohol intoxication. After weaning, the C57BL/6 mothers were exposed to 5.25 g/kg of alcohol (3.0 g/kg and 2.25 g/kg, separated by 90 minutes) daily for five consecutive days. The results indicated greater initial sensitivity to ethanol and greater tolerance development across days (p<0.05) in females with a history of alcohol consumption during gestation and parturition. These findings suggest that alcohol consumption during the sensitive periods of gestation and breastfeeding induces changes in alcohol sensitivity in the dam, potentially increasing the risk of alcohol misuse in pregnant women. Keywords: prenatal, alcohol, mice, tolerance, sensitivity.