Robison Christopher L, Madore Victoria, Cova Nicole, Drugan Robert C, Charntikov Sergios
Department of Psychology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, United States.
Front Behav Neurosci. 2024 Aug 14;18:1418544. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1418544. eCollection 2024.
This study investigated the relationship between stress exposure and subsequent ethanol use, focusing on individual differences among male rats. We combined operant self-administration with behavioral economics to assess how intermittent swim stress affects ethanol consumption. This approach allowed for a nuanced analysis of the transition from regular ethanol intake to stress-induced escalation in economic demand. Results showed a consistent rise in ethanol demand post-stress among subjects, irrespective of exposure to actual swim stress or a sham procedure. This increase may result from a two-week abstinence or an inherent rise in demand over time. Significantly, we identified a direct link between post-stress corticosterone levels and the demand for ethanol, considering baseline levels. This correlation was particularly pronounced when examining the shifts in both corticosterone levels and demand for ethanol post-stress. However, neither post-stress corticosterone levels nor their change over time correlated significantly with changes in ethanol demand following a forced swim test that was administered 24 h after the intermittent swim stress test. This suggests potential context-specific or stressor-specific effects. Importantly, pre-stress ethanol demand did not significantly predict the corticosterone response to stress, indicating that high ethanol-demand rats do not inherently exhibit heightened stress sensitivity. Our research brings to light the complex interplay between stress and ethanol consumption, highlighting the critical role of individual differences in this relationship. This research introduces a nuanced perspective, underscoring the need for future studies in the realm of stress and substance use to give greater consideration to individual variability.
本研究调查了应激暴露与随后乙醇使用之间的关系，重点关注雄性大鼠之间的个体差异。我们将操作性自我给药与行为经济学相结合，以评估间歇性游泳应激如何影响乙醇消耗。这种方法能够对从常规乙醇摄入到应激诱导的经济需求升级的转变进行细致分析。结果显示，无论是否经历实际游泳应激或假手术，应激后受试者对乙醇的需求持续上升。这种增加可能是由于两周的禁欲期或随着时间推移需求的固有增加所致。值得注意的是，考虑到基线水平，我们发现应激后皮质酮水平与乙醇需求之间存在直接联系。在检查应激后皮质酮水平和乙醇需求的变化时，这种相关性尤为明显。然而，在间歇性游泳应激试验24小时后进行的强迫游泳试验后，应激后皮质酮水平及其随时间的变化均与乙醇需求的变化无显著相关性。这表明可能存在特定情境或特定应激源的影响。重要的是，应激前乙醇需求并不能显著预测皮质酮对应激的反应，这表明高乙醇需求的大鼠并非天生就表现出更高的应激敏感性。我们的研究揭示了应激与乙醇消耗之间的复杂相互作用，突出了个体差异在这种关系中的关键作用。这项研究引入了一个细致入微的观点，强调未来在应激和物质使用领域的研究需要更多地考虑个体变异性。
