Browsing by Author "Bertholomey, Megan L."

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    Behavioral profiling of multiple pairs of rats selectively bred for high and low alcohol intake using the MCSF test
    (Wiley, 2012-01) Roman, Erika; Stewart, Robert B.; Bertholomey, Megan L.; Jensen, Meredith L.; Colombo, Giancarlo; Hyytiä, Petri; Badia-Elder, Nancy E.; Grahame, Nicholas J.; Li, Ting-Kai; Lumeng, Lawrence; Psychology, School of Science
    Genetic aspects of alcoholism have been modeled using rats selectively bred for extremes of alcohol preference and voluntary alcohol intake. These lines show similar alcohol drinking phenotypes but have different genetic and environmental backgrounds and may therefore display diverse behavioral traits as seen in human alcoholics. The multivariate concentric square field™ (MCSF) test is designed to provoke exploration and behaviors associated with risk assessment, risk taking and shelter seeking in a novel environment. The aim was to use the MCSF to characterize behavioral profiles in rat lines from selective breeding programs in the United States (P/NP, HAD1/LAD1, HAD2/LAD2), Italy (sP/sNP) and Finland (AA/ANA). The open field and elevated plus maze tests were used as reference tests. There were substantial differences within some of the pairs of selectively bred rat lines as well as between all alcohol-preferring rats. The most pronounced differences within the pairs of lines were between AA and ANA rats and between sP and sNP rats followed by intermediate differences between P and NP rats and minor differences comparing HAD and LAD rats. Among all preferring lines, P, HAD1 and HAD2 rats shared similar behavioral profiles, while AA and sP rats were quite different from each other and the others. No single trait appeared to form a common 'pathway' associated with a high alcohol drinking phenotype among all of the alcohol-preferring lines of rats. The marked behavioral differences found in the different alcohol-preferring lines may mimic the heterogeneity observed among human alcoholic subtypes.
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    Sexual dimorphism in the neural impact of stress and alcohol
    (Elsevier, 2018) Logrip, Marian L.; Milivojevic, Verica; Bertholomey, Megan L.; Torregrossa, Mary M.; Psychology, School of Science
    Alcohol use disorder is a widespread mental illness characterized by periods of abstinence followed by recidivism, and stress is the primary trigger of relapse. Despite the higher prevalence of alcohol use disorder in males, the relationship between stress and behavioral features of relapse, such as craving, is stronger in females. Given the greater susceptibility of females to stress-related psychiatric disorders, understanding sexual dimorphism in the relationship between stress and alcohol use is essential to identifying better treatments for both male and female alcoholics. This review addresses sex differences in the impact of stressors on alcohol drinking and seeking in rodents and humans. As these behavioral differences in alcohol use and relapse originate from sexual dimorphism in neuronal function, the impact of stressors and alcohol, and their interaction, on molecular adaptations and neural activity in males and females will also be discussed. Together the data reviewed herein, arising from a symposium entitled “Sex matters in stress-alcohol interactions” presented at the Fourth Volterra Conference on Stress and Alcohol, will highlight the importance of identifying sex differences to improve treatments for comorbid stress and alcohol use disorder in both populations.