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Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with a multitude of neural and behavioral aberrations. To develop treatments to mitigate the effects of ELA, it is critical to determine which aspects of cognition are affected and when these disturbances manifest across the lifespan. Here, we tested the effects of maternal separation, an established rodent model of ELA, on punishment-driven risky decision-making longitudinally in both adolescence (25–55 days old) and adulthood (80–100 days old). Risk-taking was assessed with the Risky Decision-making Task, wherein rats choose between a small, safe reward and a large reward accompanied by an escalating risk of punishment (foot shock). We observed that rats exposed to maternal separation were more prone to risk-taking than controls during adolescence, and demonstrated reduced latency to make both risky and safe decisions. Interestingly, this augmented risk-taking was no longer evident in adulthood. Males and females displayed comparable levels of risk-taking during adolescence then diverged in adulthood, with adult males displaying a sharp increase in risk-taking. Finally, we observed that risk-taking changed across the lifespan in rats exposed to maternal separation, but not in control rats. Collectively, these data reveal that ELA engenders risk-taking in adolescence but not adulthood, and that sex differences in risky decision-making are not evident until adulthood. This has important implications for the development of both behavioral and biological treatments to improve decision-making during the vulnerable adolescent period.
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This content will become publicly available on March 25, 2026
Effect of acute alcohol consumption in a novel rodent model of decision-making
Abstract AimsWe sought to explore how acute alcohol exposure alters decision-making in rats performing an approach-avoid decision-making task. Increasing concentrations of alcohol were mixed with decreasing concentrations of sucrose to mimic mixed/sweetened alcoholic beverages. MethodsRats were trained on an apparatus in which different concentrations of sucrose were available in four different corners of the arena. During daily sessions, a tone signaled each trial start, followed by illumination (15 lux, blue LEDs) of a single corner port, indicating the potential availability of sucrose at that location. The rat (one rat per arena, both females and males) then chose to approach the lit corner to have the solution dispensed or avoid it, with no solution being dispensed. We examined how the decisions to pursue sucrose rewards shifted with the addition and subsequent removal of ethanol from the sucrose ports. ResultsMales were greatly affected by the introduction of alcohol into the task environment, shifting their approach preference to solutions containing higher alcohol concentrations rather than maintaining the prior preference for high-sucrose-concentration solutions. In contrast, females’ choice patterns and task performance remained largely unchanged. We also explore a method for identifying changes in decision-making tendencies during and after alcohol consumption within individual subjects. ConclusionsThis research explores the introduction of alcohol in varying concentrations with sucrose solutions during an approach-avoid task, with male decision-making and behavioral patterns significantly impacted. We also explore a novel approach for identifying individual adaptations of decision-making behavior when alcohol becomes available, which could be expanded upon in future research.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2235858
- PAR ID:
- 10658299
- Publisher / Repository:
- Alcohol and Alcoholism
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Alcohol and Alcoholism
- Volume:
- 60
- Issue:
- 3
- ISSN:
- 0735-0414
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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