CHANGES IN THE HIGHER NERVOUS ACTIVITY OF THE OFFSPRINGS OF ALCOHOLIZED MALE WHITE-RATS

Some forms of behaviour of the offsprings of male rats, which within a period more than 1 month gave preference to 20% ethanol solution over water (I group), were compared with behaviour of the offsprings of ma les, in which alcoholic motivation had been interrupted after a period of preferential consumption of ethanol during 1 month (II group), and behaviour of the offsprings of intact males (III group). Exploratory and locomotor activity in the animals of the I group was lower, and th e level of anxiety was higher, than in the animals of the II group; th ere were no distinctions between the animals of the II and the III gro ups (by testing in elevated plus-maze). Memory traces in a test of avo idance by swimming retained worse in the females of the I group, than in the females of the II group; there were no distinctions between mal es. Capability for bilateral active avoidance conditioning was higher in the animals of the I group, but at the same time the number of anim als, which demonstrated non-escape reaction, increase. Forced alcoholi zation of males of the I and the II groups was carried out beginning f rom the age of 7 months. Within 2,5 months after the beginning of alco holization 2/3 of the rats of the I group demonstrated ethanol prefere nce during a testing period of 1 month. Such preference retained only in 14,3% of the animals of the II group. It is supposed that the main factor, which determines predisposition of the offsprings to alcohol c onsumption, is alcohol consumption by parents rather than their own pr edisposition.