Prenatal ethanol exposure and spatial navigation: effects of postnatal handling and aging.
Prenatal ethanol exposure results in spatial navigation deficits in young and mid-aged animals. In contrast, postnatal handling attenuates spatial deficits that emerge with age in animals that are not handled. Therefore, we investigated the ability of handling to attenuate spatial deficits in animals prenatally exposed to ethanol (E). Sprague-Dawley male offspring from E, pair-fed (PF), and control (C) groups were handled (H) or nonhandled (NH) from 1 to 15 days of age and tested on the Morris water maze at 2 or 13 to 14 months of age. In young animals, H-E males had longer latencies to locate the submerged platform, and E animals, across handling conditions, showed altered search patterns compared to their PF and C counterparts. Mid-aged animals had longer latencies than young animals, with no differences among E, PF, and C animals. However, corticosterone levels were higher in mid-aged E than in C males. Handling did not attenuate impairments associated with either prenatal ethanol exposure or aging.
Department of Anatomy, University of British Columbia, 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Kara I
KI
Gabriel
Sarah
S
Johnston
Joanne
J
Weinberg
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D004924:Escape Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013028:Space Perception / Q000187:drug effects*; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
D000431:Ethanol; D003345:Corticosterone