Introduction. Gestational or neonatal ethanol exposure produce high affinity to ethanol’s positive and anxiolytic effects promoting subsequent ethanol’s consumption. Pup’s ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) -distress isolation calls- have been poorly studied in contrast to the well-defined USVs in adult rats. Moreover, when considering the anxiolytic effects of ethanol upon the emission of USVs, little attention has been paid to these effects on drug exposure during early life.

Aim. To analyze separation-induced distress vocalizations in neonate rats and their ethanol consumption as a function ethanol exposure during late gestation period or during the first week of postnatal life.

Methodology. During gestational days 17-20, dams received a subcutaneous injection of D-penicillamine (50 mg/kg) or saline (0.9% NaCl). Thirty minutes after, rats received an intragastric administration of ethanol (2.0 g/kg) or water. At postnatal days 4 and 6, pups received intraoral infusions of either milk or milk mixed with ethanol through an artificial lactation test. This test was followed by 5-min USVs recordings.

Results. At PD6 pups prenatally exposed to ethanol emitted more USVs during the last bin of evaluation compared with water group. In contrast, the postnatal experience with the drug during this day generating fewer USVs compared to groups that received milk. Ethanol consumption was increased in those pups prenatally exposed to the drug compared with water-exposed controls.