Early Maternal Deprivation Enhances Voluntary Alcohol Intake Induced by Exposure to Stressful Events Later in Life

Figure 1

Schedule of experimental design. A total of ten litters were assigned to either of these two experimental groups: exposure to a single episode of early maternal deprivation (24 h on pnd 9, MD) or not deprived (control group, Co). All animals were given free access to alcohol (20%, v/v) and water in the two-bottle choice paradigm for (1) the whole adolescent period (from pnd 28 to pnd 50), for (2) four days (pnd 57 to pnd 60) after one week of alcohol cessation, and for (3) four days (pnd 67 to pnd 70) after a second period of alcohol cessation combined with 30 min. of restraint stress under white light conditions on the last three days of alcohol cessation. –20 animals per experimental group.