Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the developmental pattern of temperature preference in a thermocline.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with a variety of impairments in neonatal state regulatory systems. Since prenatal alcohol exposure causes thermoregulatory deficits in response to both heat and cold stress in rats, body temperature set-point might be altered in alcohol-exposed offspring. The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on behavior in a thermocline was investigated in 10-, 15-, and 125-day-old male and female rats from three prenatal treatment conditions: alcohol liquid diet, pair-fed liquid diet control, or standard control. Subjects were placed in the thermocline in the cold, hot, or middle start positions and observed for 60 min. Subjects exposed to alcohol prenatally had a wider "preference zone" than control subjects at 10 and 15 days of age, but did not as adults. This widening of the temperature set-point in young subjects prenatally exposed to alcohol may represent a developmental lag in the development of body temperature set-point or a central compensatory process allowing the animal to adapt to alternating experiences of heat and cold stress.
Zimmerberg
B
B
Department of Psychology, Bronfman Science Center, Williams College, Williamstown, MA 01267.
Tomlinson
T M
TM
Glaser
J
J
Beckstead
J W
JW
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D012727:Sex Characteristics
D000431:Ethanol