Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a prevalent issue in the United States affecting roughly 30 million people and 894,000 adolescents with a strong correlation linked to adolescent exposure to alcohol. Early Life Stress (ELS) has been shown to be heavily comorbid with AUD and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). People diagnosed with PTSD are three times more likely to also be diagnosed with AUD. Current animal models are exploring these neurological mechanisms underlying the effects of ELS in AUD in rodent models. However, there is a lack of literature exploring Early Life Stress and its comorbidity with AUD. This project explores the effects of ELS on ethanol consumption in C57BL/6J male and female mice. Mice undergo an Intermittent Access (IA) two-bottle choice paradigm with ELS exposure (I.E. foot shock). Mice are exposed to either 0 or 15 foot shock on post-natal day (PND) 17 followed by the exposure to a two bottle drinking choice of either water or 20% ethanol for 3 weeks during adolescence. As adults they undergo this paradigm for four weeks. Aversion resistance is measured on week 5 utilizing increasing concentrations (50, 100, 200 mg/L) of quinine (bitter tastant) to measure drinking despite negative consequences. This data will be analyzed using a Three-Way ANOVA followed by post-hoc analyses where needed. These findings allow us to understand the underlying mechanisms of ELS exposure and its comorbidity to AUD. These results contribute to understanding how ELS and adolescent drinking play a role in the development of alcohol use in adulthood.
Authors: Charlotte Roemer, Harrison M. Carvour, Oscar Sandoval, Caroline Scribner, Thomas W. Perry, Amanda Reichert, and Anna K. Radke
Advisor(s): Anna K. Radke, Department of Psychology
Amanda Reichert, Department of Psychology
Oscar Sandoval, Department of Psychology
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