Journal Article

The influence of a chronic adolescent nicotine exposure on ethanol withdrawal severity during adulthood in C3H mice

Riley, Hugh H., Diaz-Granados, Jaime L., Zalud, André W.

2010

Overview

Animal and human studies have shown tolerance, consumption, relapse, and behavioral interactions between ethanol and nicotine, but little is understood about their interaction, especially as it relates to ethanol withdrawal in adulthood for subjects who have an adolescent history of using these drugs. This study investigated nicotine's influence on ethanol withdrawal seizures in two different age groups of male C3H mice. Adolescent and adult male C3H mice, beginning at postnatal day 28 or 70, respectively, were subjected to a 7-day chronic exposure to ethanol only, ethanol plus nicotine, nicotine only, or vehicle treatment. Six weeks later, all the groups were subjected to chronic exposure to ethanol vapors and the severity of their ethanol withdrawal seizures was assessed by handling-induced convulsions. An adolescent exposure to chronic nicotine resulted in an exacerbation of ethanol withdrawal seizures in adulthood. Given this, adolescence may contain a neurophysiological critical period that is sensitive to nicotine and which may result in an altered response to ethanol dependency in adulthood. These findings have serious implications for the long-term consequences following co-abuse of these drugs during adolescence.

• Publisher: Elsevier Inc,Elsevier Limited
• Subject: Adolescence / Adolescent boys / Adolescents / Adults / Age differences / Age Factors / Age groups / Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures - etiology / Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures - psychology / Animals / Behavior, Animal - drug effects / Body Weight - drug effects / Brain / Central Nervous System Depressants - administration & dosage / Central Nervous System Depressants - blood / Central Nervous System Depressants - toxicity / Convulsions & seizures / Dependency / Disease Models, Animal / Drug abuse / Drugs / Ethanol / Ethanol - administration & dosage / Ethanol - blood / Ethanol - toxicity / Ethanol withdrawal / Inhalation Exposure / Laboratory animals / Male / Males / Mice / Mice, Inbred C3H / Nicotine / Nicotine - toxicity / Nicotinic Agonists - toxicity / Postpartum period / Psychiatry / Relapse / Risk Factors / Severity of Illness Index / Sexual Development / Substance abuse / Teenagers / Tobacco Use Disorder - complications / Tobacco Use Disorder - psychology / Tolerance