Exploring in the classroom the relationship between alcohol intake and behavioral disorders through an animal model

Abstract

Alcohol consumption has profound effects on behavior, such as impaired judg-ment, addiction or even death. It is estimated that alcohol contributes to around three million deaths worldwide, 13.5% of them in young people with ages between 20 and 39 years. Consequently, it is necessary to raise awareness among college and high school students of the risk related to alcohol drinking. The small nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an animal widely used as amodel organism to study nearly all aspects of Biochemistry. It is a powerfultool to test the potential bioactivity and molecular mechanisms of natural com-pounds and drugs in vivo. Therefore, it is an interesting topic to include in an undergraduate course of Biotechnology, Biochemistry or Biology students among other scientific vocations. C. elegans is also used as a neurobiological model to evaluate substances´ neurotoxicity and behavioral effects. The pro-posed experiment introduces students to the handling of this preclinical modeland to the evaluation of behavioral alterations induced by chemicals in scien-tific research. The effects of different doses of ethanol on C. elegans behavior are studied using a versatile chemotaxis assay. This laboratory experiment issuitable for an undergraduate course. The practical session can be used in theglobal strategies of information and awareness of educational centres to miti-gate the impact of alcohol abuse among students, both in formal courses or inScience fairs or exhibitions