EFFECTS OF PRIOR

EXPOSURE TO
ETHANOL ON
ALERTNESS IN
INTOXICATED RATS
Nicole Hayes
Ifeoma Odoh
Natalie Yocum

Department of Psychology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA 98195

INTRODUCTION:
PREVIOUS LITERATURE
Alertness in rats:
More movement (Valle, 1992)
Rearing (Lever, 2006)
Effects of Ethanol:
Reduced locomotion (Little, 1996)
Reduced social activities but not solo ones (Kriak,
1973)
Reduced locomotion and grooming (Eriksson,
2008)

INTRODUCTION: THE
CURRENT STUDY
How will prior exposure to ethanol impact
alertness in rats in an open field test?
Specifically looking at:
Distance travelled (measure of locomotion)
Length of rears (measure of alertness)
Total grooms (inverse measure of alertness)

METHODS: SUBJECTS
20 female Long-Evans hooded rats
All two months old at start of experiment
Randomly assigned to control or ethanol
Such that each group had same average weight
Housed in individual cages in one room and
handled daily
During drug exposure, provided with gel jars
containing ethanol or a neutral gel
Free access to food and water

METHODS:
PROCEDURE
Week 3 all rats given gel jars for entire week
12 of 20 were given ethanol
1 month later, all rats given ethanol jars for 24
hours
Immediately after, rats given a 5 minute open
field
18 inch walls on a 3 foot square open field
Open field results recorded in ANYmaze

RESULTS: DISTANCE
TRAVELLED

Significant difference between control (M = 14.15 m, SD = 6.43)

and ethanol (M = 22.39 m, SD = 5.73), t(17) = 2.94, p <0.01

RESULTS: REARING

Not significant difference between control (M = 1.78 sec, SD =

0.83) and ethanol (M = 1.64 sec, SD = 0.59), t(17) = 0.44, p = 0.66

RESULTS: GROOMING

There was no relation between grooming and prior experience, X2

(1, N = 19) = 0.833, p > 0.35

DISCUSSION:
CURRENT STUDY
Rats with previous ethanol exposure moved
more than rats on their first exposure
No significant difference in rearing and
grooming behaviors
Alertness does not change on repeated
exposure to ethanol but locomotion does
Only looks at effect of prior exposure: all rats
were exposed to alcohol for the final open field

DISCUSSION: FUTURE
STUDIES & IMPLICATIONS
Look at effects of prior ethanol exposure in rats
navigating more challenging field tests
Water Maze Field Test
Task-Oriented Test (e.g. pull a lever)
Compare rats who have free access to gel with rats given
shots of ethanol
Examine social behavior of ethanol-intoxicated rats with
or without prior alcohol exposure

OUR SOURCES,
ANY QUESTIONS?

Little, P.J., Kuhn, C.M., Wilson, M.A., & Swartzwelder, H.S. (1996). Differential effects of
ethanol in adolescent and adult rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research,
20 (8), 1346-1351. DOI: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1996.tb01133.x

Kriak, M. & Borgesov, M. (1973). Effect of alcohol on behaviour of pairs of rats.

Psychopharmacologia, 32 (2), 201-209. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00428691

Eriksson, K. & Wallgren, H. (2008). Behaviour of rats under the influence of ethyl
alcohol in an open field situation. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 8 (1), 257-267.
DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.1967.tb01400.x

Lever, C., Burton, S., OKeefe, J. (2006). Rearing on hind legs, environmental novelty,
and the hippocampal formation. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 17 (1-2), 111-133. DOI:
10.1515/REVNEURO.2006.17.1-2.111

Valle, A.C., Timo-Iaria, C., Sameshima, K., Yamashita, R. (1992). Theta waves and
behavioral manifestations of alertness and dreaming activity in the rat. Brazilian
Journal of Medical and Biological Research, 25 (7), 745-749.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1342605

Contact us at:

nhayes8@uw.edu
natyocum@uw.edu
ifyodoh3@uw.edu