Search results for " female rat"
showing 4 items of 4 documents
Alcohol preference, behavioural reactivity and cognitive functioning in female rats exposed to a three-bottle choice paradigm.
2012
Alcohol abuse is a substantial and growing health problem in Western societies. In the last years in vivo and in vitro studies have suggested that males and females display a different alcohol drinking behaviour, with swingeing differences not only in the propensity for alcohol use but also in the metabolic and behavioural consequences. In this study we investigated, in adult female rats, ethanol self-administration and preference pattern using a 3-bottle paradigm with water, 10% ethanol solution, and white wine (10%, v/v), along a four-week period. The influence of alcohol free-access on explorative behaviour in the open field (OF), and on spatial learning and reference memory in the Morri…
Continuous and Intermittent Alcohol Free-Choice from Pre-gestational Time to Lactation: Focus on Drinking Trajectories and Maternal Behavior
2016
Background: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy and lactation induces detrimental consequences, that are not limited to the direct in utero effects of the drug on fetuses, but extend to maternal care. However, the occurrence and severity of alcohol toxicity are related to the drinking pattern and the time of exposure. The present study investigated in female rats long-term alcohol drinking trajectories, by a continuous and intermittent free-choice paradigm, during pre-gestational time, pregnancy, and lactation; moreover, the consequences of long-term alcohol consumption on the response to natural reward and maternal behavior were evaluated. Methods: Virgin female rats were exposed to home-…
The non-aromatizable androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT) facilitates sexual behavior in ovariectomized female rats primed with estradiol
2020
Abstract It is still unclear whether Testosterone (T) increases sexual desire through a stimulation of the androgen receptor in relevant brain regions or through its conversion to estrogens. The aim of this study was to clarify the mechanisms of T facilitation of female sexual desire by assessing the effect of a non-aromatizable androgen (Dihydrotestosterone, DHT) in a validated animal model. Ovariectomized (OVX) Long-Evans rats were treated with oil (O) + O, 10 mcg Estradiol Benzoate (EB) + O, 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg Progesterone (P), O + 500 mcg DHT or 10 mcg EB + 500 mcg DHT (n = 12 per group). EB was administered 48 h, while P and DHT 4 h, prior to 4 sexual behavioral testing sessions in bi…
Patterns matter: continuous Vs intermittent access to ethanol differently affects withdrawal behavioural phenotype and maternal care in female rats.
2014
Modeling voluntary ethanol consumption in female rats is crucial for gaining further insight in gender-related vulnerability to alcohol. Since ethanol effects depend not only on the amount consumed, but also on drinking pattern, this study aimed at assessing the influence of continuous and intermittent ethanol self-administration on peculiar aspects of female behavioural repertoire during withdrawal and relapse. Female rats undergoing a 15-week-long, 20% ethanol continuous or intermittent (3days/week) access, respectively named CARs and IARs, were tested for alcohol intake (gr/kg) and preference. During withdrawal we assessed: novelty and reward preference in novel object exploration and sa…