Alcohol produces sex differences in ataxia but not nonspatial cognition in aged rats compared to younger rats.

Introduction: This study investigated if acute alcohol exposure produces sex differences in aged rats compared to adult and adolescent rats on ataxia and nonspatial cognition.

Materials and methods: Sex- and age-related differences were assessed by using aged, young adult, and adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. For acute alcohol exposure, animals were administered either 1 or 2 g/kg alcohol via intraperitoneal injection before testing. To examine the effects of acute alcohol exposure on balance and motor control and nonspatial learning, animals underwent behavioral testing in the aerial righting reflex (ARR) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. Blood alcohol levels were determined 60 min following administration of either 1.0 or 2.0 g/kg alcohol.

Results: Sex differences were found in the ARR, as aged females were significantly less sensitive to the effect of acute alcohol exposure compared to aged males. Age was also found to significantly affect ARR performance, where aged animals performed worse than younger animals in response to acute alcohol. However, these sex- and age-related differences were not found in the nonspatial MWM test or in blood alcohol concentrations.

Conclusions: These results indicate that the sex- and age-dependent effects of acute alcohol exposure are task specific. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of studying the effects of acute alcohol on the aged population.