Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex psychiatric disorder affected by both genetic and environmental factors (Mayfield et al., 2008; Tawa et al., 2016; Young-Wolff et al., 2011). One such environmental variable that strongly correlates to the development of AUD and alcohol abuse is early life stress (ELS) (Guinle & Sinha, 2020; Sinha, 2001). ELS is associated with an increased risk of alcohol dependence, early onset alcohol use, and PTSD-AUD comorbidity (Lee et al., 2018; Enoch, 2011; Pechtel & Pizzagalli, 2011). A recent study with Long-Evans rats found that acute ELS in the form of 15 footshocks on postnatal day (PND) 17 increases aversion-resistant drinking in an intermittent access alcohol drinking paradigm (Radke et al., 2020). The current study aimed to extend this model of AUD to C57BL/6J mice. Mice were administered 15 footshocks on PND 17. On PND 90, ethanol drinking behavior was tested in one of three two-bottle choice drinking paradigms: continuous access, limited access drinking in the dark, or intermittent access. During a week 5 of the intermittent access drinking, ethanol was adulterated with increasing concentrations of quinine (10 mg/L, 100 mg/L, and 200 mg/L) to test aversion-resistant drinking. Our results indicate that sex, but not infant footshock, influences adult ethanol consumption in mice. These findings may be rooted in several causes, which will be explored at length in our poster. Namely, infant footshock alone may not be able to provide adequate levels of stress required to increase drinking levels in mice. Further research should be conducted to determine the necessary conditions to create a valid model of AUD in mice following acute ELS. Research is supported by the Department of Psychology and College of Arts and Sciences at Miami University.
Author(s): Yingying Gao, Psychology Major
Advisor(s): Anna Radke, Department of Psychology Thomas Perry, Department of Psychology
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