Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Cell and Molecular Biology
Isnalvy Fuentes - Onondaga Community College
Co-Author(s): Ifrah Hassan, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse NY; Jocelyn Y. Solis-Moreira, Jenna M. Carter, and David F. Werner, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY
Previous literature has repeatedly demonstrated age-specific responses to ethanol.The adolescent brain is more immature and vulnerable to certain effects of ethanol than adults. However, there is little known about age-specific brain activation patterns following ethanol dosing and whether these different activation patterns can help explain the age differences in ethanol related responses. The objective of this work was to determine the brain regions responsible for modulating differential responses to ethanol, investigate age-related differences in ethanol sensitivities and its consequential behavioral effects on anxiety related behaviors and identify ethanol-induced changes in c-Fos expression during adolescence and adulthood using the Lac-Z reporter gene.
Experiments used genetically modified adolescent and adult male transgenic Lac-Z rats bred at Binghamton University. The rats were given acute doses of ethanol (1.5 g/kg) or an equivalent dose of saline. After one hour, the rats were anesthetized and euthanized to perform brain removal , slicing, followed by the immunohistochemistry of the prepared slides. The adult male rats were also subjected to acute dosing with 0.75 g/kg ethanol or equivalent saline. After 20 minutes, the rats were then placed in a light-dark box and observed for five minutes.
The results showed a decrease of 40% in the cellular activity of the pre-frontal cortex following ethanol dosing in the adolescent rats but no significant change in the activity of the adults. The light/dark box test showed no difference in the amount of time that the rats spent in the light box between the ethanol or saline treated rats.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): This research was supported by grant NIH AA017823, Center for Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience, the Psychology Department at Binghamton University, and the Bridges to the Doctorate Program at Binghamton University.
Faculty Advisor: Vicentica Valdes, v.s.valdes@sunyocc.edu
Role: - Dosing of rats with ethanol - Anesthetizing and euthanizing rats, brain removal - Data analysis of observations