Developmental and genotypic effects on pituitary-adrenal function and alcohol tolerance in mice.

Lactating females of 2 lines of mice selectively bred for long (LS) and short (SS) ethanol-induced sleep time (a measure of alcohol tolerance) consumed either tap water or 10% ethanol in tap water on Days 2-14 postpartum. Effects of genotype and neonatal treatment on offspring open-field behavior, alcohol-induced sleep time, and adrenocortical responsiveness to alcohol or saline injection were studied. The LS mice had higher ethanol-induced sleep times than SS mice, and also higher plasma corticosterone levels following alcohol challenge. The LS mice also responded more to saline injection and to novelty stress, suggesting that they were generally more responsive to stressors than SS mice. Significant genotype-dependent effects of neonatal treatment on (1) adrenocortical responsiveness to injection stess and (2) alcohol tolerance were noted. However, these 2 effects did not appear to be causally related. Neonatal treatment had no effect on open-field activity or defecation in either genetic line.