Operant self-administration of ethanol in mice prenatally exposed to cocaine

Prenatal drug exposure may affect postnatal response to the reinforcing effects of a broad array of drugs. This study investigated the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure on operant self-administration of ethanol. Eighteen male, C57BL/6J mice were divided into three groups. The first had been prenatally exposed to 30 mg/kg of cocaine twice per day while the other groups were offspring of mothers which were either pair fed and saline intubated or untreated. Once adults, the mice were trained and subsequently tested for reinforcement from ethanol. The prenatal cocaine group responded less than the two control groups, with the largest decrease during a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. There were no differences in responding as a function of ethanol concentrations. These findings suggest that prenatal exposure to cocaine may not affect reinforcement per se, but may decrease motivation, drive state or propensity to work for ethanol.