Potential Sex Differences in Anxiety Like Behaviors and Cognitive Function Following Adolescent Alcohol Ethanol Drinking

Authors: Iman Shahbaz, Joshua Gendlin

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

Program Affiliation: Varodayan Lab

Faculty Mentors: Florence Varodayan

Easel: 59

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Alcohol (ethanol) drinking during adolescence contributes to long-term cognitive and behavioral deficits associated with prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction. However, few preclinical studies have included both sexes when examining these effects. Here, adolescent ethanol drinking was investigated in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Littermates underwent intermittent ethanol (AIE) drinking from postnatal day (P) 30-P60, while controls had water only. At ~P90, mice were tested in digging and novelty suppressed feeding (NSF) tasks to assess anxiety-like behavior and the Barnes maze was used for spatial memory. Preliminary findings show increased ethanol consumption over time with no significant sex differences. It is hypothesized that adolescent alcohol exposure alters stress-related behaviors in both sexes, with females exhibiting greater anxiety-like behavior and impaired spatial learning than males due to increased stress sensitivity. These findings will enhance our understanding of adolescent alcohol's neurobehavioral impact.