Prenatal exposure to ethanol alters the organization of hippocampal mossy fibers in rats.
Rats exposed to ethanol throughout their gestation were found to have abnormally distributed mossy fibers in temporal regions of the hippocampus. This demonstrates that prenatal exposure to ethanol causes alterations in neuronal circuitry that persist to maturity. Such defects may play a role in the mental retardation often observed in children with fetal alcohol syndrome.
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D000818:Animals; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats
D000431:Ethanol