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Housing and rank status of male Long–Evans rats modify ethanol’s effect on open-field behaviors

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Abstract

Rationale

Psychosocial stress is known to alter behavior of rodents. While psychosocial stress may alter the response to some drugs, the response to ethanol (EtOH) has not been evaluated.

Objective

To examine open-field behaviors of triad- and singly housed rats treated acutely or voluntarily ingesting EtOH.

Method

Triad-housed rats were categorized as dominant, subdominant, or subordinate based on assessments of offensive and defensive behaviors. Open-field behaviors were monitored during a 10-min test in rats voluntarily ingesting a 6% solution of EtOH for 2 weeks (1), and after an i.p. injection of saline, 0.5 or 1.0 g kg−1 of EtOH (2).

Results

Daily intake of EtOH was highest in subdominant and lowest in dominant rats. Overall, open-field behaviors did not differ between water- and EtOH-consuming triad- or singly housed rats. The 0.5-g kg−1 dose of EtOH enhanced locomotor activity only in triad-housed rats, center entries primarily in singly housed rats, and head-poke behavior in dominant and singly housed rats. Rearing behavior was not altered by the 0.5-g kg−1 dose, but in singly housed rats, rearing behavior was depressed by the 1.0-g kg−1 dose. This larger dose of EtOH had no effect on the other behaviors.

Conclusions

EtOH’s effects on open-field behaviors show behavioral specificity and vary with the subject’s housing and/or rank status. EtOH’s acute anxiolytic-like effect was primarily evident in singly housed rats.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant AAA10124. The excellent technical assistance of Mrs. Xiao Huang is gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers University, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854-1100, USA

    Larissa A. Pohorecky

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  1. Larissa A. Pohorecky
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Correspondence to Larissa A. Pohorecky.

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Pohorecky, L.A. Housing and rank status of male Long–Evans rats modify ethanol’s effect on open-field behaviors. Psychopharmacology 185, 289–297 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-005-0257-3

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