| Title: | Alcohol exposure during development: analysis of effects on female sexual behavior |
| Author(s): | Gass JT; Jenkins WJ; Marino MD; Lugo JN; Kelly SJ; |
| Address: | "Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 29208, USA" |
| DOI: | 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00525.x |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1530-0277 (Electronic) 0145-6008 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "BACKGROUND: Alcohol exposure during development has been shown to alter a variety of social behaviors in both humans and rodents. Sexual behavior in rodents has been well characterized and lends itself to a detailed investigation of the manner in which ethanol impacts this particular social behavior. METHODS: Rats were exposed to ethanol during both the prenatal and early postnatal period (ET). Control groups included rats exposed to the administration procedures alone (intubated-control) and nontreated controls (NC). Sexual behavior of intact naive female rats in estrus was assessed in adulthood (approximately postnatal day 90) and activity was measured by the number of crossings between chambers in the 3-chamber test apparatus. A separate study examined the olfactory preferences for 4 odors by intact naive female rats in all 3 groups. The 4 odors were the odors resulting from 1 hour of occupation of the test chamber by an intact male, 1 hour of occupation of the test chamber by a gonadectomized male, 0.5 ml of urine from an intact male, and 0.5 ml of urine from a gonadectomized male. RESULTS: ET female rats showed a reduced return latency after ejaculation compared to both control groups. There was a trend toward a reduction in percent exits after all forms of male behavior in the ET animals compared to the control groups. No significant differences across groups were seen in the lordosis quotient, activity, or the behavior of the nonexperimental male. ET female rats showed a reduced preference for the odor from the intact male compared to both control groups and a reduced preference for the odor from the gonadectomized male compared to NC females only. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that ethanol exposure during the prenatal and postnatal period in females alters sexual motivation and changes the processing of olfactory cues and possibly coital cues from male rats" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Choice Behavior Copulation Cues Ethanol/*toxicity Female Male Motivation Pregnancy *Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects Rats Rats, Long-Evans Sex Attractants *Sexual Behavior, Animal Smell;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineGass, Justin T Jenkins, William J Marino, Melissa D Lugo, Joaquin N Jr Kelly, Sandra J eng F31 AA005583/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS/ AA05883/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS/ R01 11566/PHS HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural England 2007/10/24 Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2007 Dec; 31(12):2065-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.2007.00525.x. Epub 2007 Oct 19" |
