Effects of maternal strain on ethanol responses in reciprocal F1 C57BL/6J and DBA/2J hybrid mice

• Published in: Genes, brain and behavior Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 276 - 287
• Main Authors: Gabriel, K. I., Cunningham, C. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2008
• Subjects: Alcohol Drinking - genetics; Animals; Conditioned place preference; Crosses, Genetic; ethanol; Ethanol - pharmacology; F1 hybrids; Female; hypothermia; Hypothermia - chemically induced; inbred strains; intake; Male; Maternal Behavior; maternal effects; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Inbred DBA; Motor Activity - drug effects; Social Environment
• ISSN: 1601-1848; 1601-183X
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2007.00349.x

Variations in maternal behavior, either occurring naturally or in response to experimental manipulations, have been shown to exert long‐lasting consequences on offspring behavior and physiology. Despite previous research examining the effects of developmental manipulations on drug‐related phenotypes, few studies have specifically investigated the influence of strain‐based differences in maternal behavior on drug responses in mice. The current experiments used reciprocal F1 hybrids of two inbred mouse strains (i.e. DBA/2J and C57BL/6J) that differ in both ethanol (EtOH) responses and maternal behavior to assess the effects of maternal environment on EtOH‐related phenotypes. Male and female DBA/2J and C57BL/6J mice and their reciprocal F1 hybrids reared by either DBA/2J or C57BL/6J dams were tested in adulthood for EtOH intake (choice, forced), EtOH‐induced hypothermia, EtOH‐induced activity and EtOH‐induced conditioned place preference (CPP). C57BL/6J and DBA/2J mice showed differences on all EtOH responses. Consistent with previous reports that maternal strain can influence EtOH intake, F1 hybrids reared by C57BL/6J dams consumed more EtOH during forced exposure than did F1 hybrids reared by DBA/2J dams. Maternal strain also influenced EtOH‐induced hypothermic responses in F1 hybrids, producing differences in hybrid mice that paralleled those of the inbred strains. In contrast, maternal strain did not influence EtOH‐induced activity or CPP in hybrid mice. The current findings indicate that maternal environment may contribute to variance in EtOH‐induced hypothermia and EtOH intake, although effects on EtOH intake appear to be dependent upon the type of EtOH exposure.