Impact of the developing endocannabinoid system in rats on the modulatory influence of stress on adolescent ethanol intake

青春期已被证明是实验性药物使用的易感期，众所周知，在这一发育时期开始滥用药物，如酒精，与后来的成瘾行为发展密切相关。ECS在决定酒精的强化作用方面起着关键作用，这似乎尤其适用于青春期，在这个时期，ECS系统被证明是过度活跃的。压力是导致个体易受各种神经心理功能障碍（包括药物滥用）影响的一个重要因素。由于大多数神经精神疾病都是在青春期出现的，因此了解在这一时期暴露于压力源如何导致负面后果是非常重要的。越来越多的证据表明，与成年人相比，青春期生物对压力源的生理和行为反应不同；然而，其潜在机制尚未明确。最后，ECS系统与应力之间的密切相互作用已经很好地建立起来。因此，在目前的建议下，我们希望阐明应激对青春期/青春期大鼠酒精摄入启动的高度影响的机制，并研究不同应激源对ECS功能的发育影响。

Puberty has been shown to be a susceptible period for experimental drug use and it is known that the initation of substance abuse, such as alcohol, during this developmental period is strongly associated with later development of addictive behaviors. The ECS plays a key role in determining the reinforcing effects of alcohol and this appears to be especially true for the pubertal period, where the ECS system has been shown to be overactive. Stress is an important factor that is contributing to an individual’s vulnerability to various neuropsychological dysfunctions, including drug abuse. Since most neuropsychiatric disorders emerge during puberty, understanding how exposure to stressors during this period leads to negative consequences is of high importance. Growing evidence indicates that pubertal organisms react different, both physiologically and behaviorally, to a stressor compared to adults; however, the underlying mechanisms have not been clarified. Finally, a close interaction between the ECS system and stress is already well established. With the present proposal we would therefore like to shed light on the mechanisms underlying the heightened influence of stress on the initiation of ethanol intake during puberty/adolescence in rats and investigate the developmental impact of different stressors on ECS functioning.