Honors Theses and Capstones
Date of Award
Spring 2023
Project Type
Senior Honors Thesis
College or School
COLSA
Department
College of Life Sciences and Agriculture
Program or Major
Biomedical Science
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
First Advisor
Sergios Charntikov
Abstract
The main concern of this study is to evaluate the neurobiology of ethanol self-administration and cue-induced reinstatement in rats and its implications for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) prevention and treatment. The purpose of this study is to use a pre-clinical model of ethanol use to understand the individual effects at the neurobiological level. The study utilized economic demand and negative consequence testing to evaluate the rats' motivation to consume ethanol and their ability to relapse after periods of abstinence. The results showed individual and sex differences in ethanol consumption, with rats who placed a higher value on ethanol being more likely to consume it and relapse. In the future, data will be processed to identify the specific brain regions associated with relapse, which could be targeted with medications to treat AUD. Future research directions include inhibiting specific brain regions in rats with high economic demand and using alcohol long-term drinking rats to better mimic human models.
Recommended Citation
Knapp, Haily R., "Behavioral Markers and Endophenotypes Underlying Individual Differences in Ethanol Use" (2023). Honors Theses and Capstones. 729.
https://scholars.unh.edu/honors/729