Transcriptomic Patterns Associated with Anxiety-like Alterations in Male and Female Rats During Acute Withdrawal From Adolescent Intermittent Forced Ethanol Drinking

Authors: Michelle Lin, Peter Penta, Emily Walters, Taylor Laubacher, Harper Coleman, Elena Varlinskaia

Field of Study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math

Program Affiliation: McNair Scholars Program, TRiO (SSS, Upward Bound, etc.)

Faculty Mentors: David Werner

Easel: 9

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Early initiation of alcohol use during adolescence is associated with various adverse consequences (e.g., negative affect) which increase the likelihood of developing alcohol use disorder later in life. The current study examined the anxiety-like behavior in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats during acute withdrawal from chronic adolescent intermittent ethanol (AIE) exposure via forced drinking. Rats were exposed to a single bottle of either a 10% ethanol solution or water on a 2-days on/2-days off schedule from postnatal day (P) 28 to P53. Anxiety-like behavior during acute withdrawal was assessed using a modified social interaction test 24 hours after the last ethanol exposure. Ethanol-exposed males exhibited lower social investigation and social preference compared to their water counterparts. Ethanol-exposed females did not show differences in social anxiety-like behavior. Ongoing RNA sequencing studies are analyzing differentially expressed genes within the central amygdala associated with the sex-specific anxiety-like alterations following AIE exposure.