Maternal separation stress and behaviors related to alcohol dependence in mice: assessment of CRFergic neurotransmission

Abstract

Alcohol is a drug of abuse most used worldwide. Vulnerability to the development of addiction can stem from different factors, such as environmental, social and biological. Stress is considered an important environmental factor related to iniciation, maintenance and relapse of drug abuse. Early life stress that occur during childhood may lead to development of psychopathologies in adulthood. In this context, repeated episodes of maternal care deprivation may lead to serious consequences for child's life, promoting lasting behavioral and neuroendocrine changes, such as increased vulnerability to drug abuse in later stages of development. In rodents, the maternal separation model has been considered predictive to demonstrate the effects of early stress exposure on ethanol intake. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying increase in alcohol taking and seeking are not fully understood. It is suggested that stress-induced CRFergic pathway activation may be involved in drug abuse. The aim of this project is to evaluate the neurobiological and behavioral influence of maternal separation stress on alcohol consumption in mice and the correlation between anxiety levals,promoted by this stress and alcohol consumption.