Abstract
Two neurochemically distinct forms of stress-induced analgesia were examined in adult rats following prenatal ethanol exposure. Rats were exposed to ethanol during the last 2 weeks of gestation through a liquid diet presented to the dams. Analgesia testing was conducted when the offspring were 150–210 days of age. Two forms of footshock stress were administered; one that resulted in a naloxone-sensitive (opioid-mediated) analgesia and one that resulted in a naloxone-insensitive (nonopioid) form of analgesia. Rats prenatally exposed to ethanol demonstrated significantly enhanced opioid-mediated analgesia, but unaltered nonpoioid analgesia compared to controls. These results confirm previous findings that prenatal exposure to ethanol leads to long-term alterations in responding to some, but not all forms of stress. The possibility that prenatal exposure to ethanol leads to perturbations in the endogenous opioid systems is discussed.
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Nelson, L.R., Taylor, A.N., Lewis, J.W. et al. Opioid but not nonopioid stress-induced analgesia is enhanced following prenatal exposure to ethanol. Psychopharmacology 85, 92–96 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427329
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00427329