Increased impulsivity in rats as a result of repeated cycles of alcohol intoxication and abstinence.

ABSTRACT: Impulsivity is a risk factor for alcoholism, and long-term alcohol exposure may further impair impulse control in a manner that propels problematic alcohol use. The present study employed the rat 5-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) to measure behavioral inhibition and attentional capacity during abstinence from repeated 5-day cycles of alcohol liquid diet consumption. Task performance was not disrupted following the first cycle of alcohol exposure; however, evidence of impaired behavioral inhibition emerged following the third cycle of alcohol exposure. In comparison with controls, alcoholic rats exhibited deficits in inhibitory control during cognitively challenging 5-CSRTT tests employing variable intertrial interval (varITI). This behavioral disruption was not present during ea

SUBMITTER: Irimia C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4061283 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature