title: Early alcohol exposure impairs ocular dominance plasticity throughout the critical period.
abstract: Animal models of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) have revealed an impairment of sensory neocortex plasticity. Here, we examine whether early alcohol exposure leads to a permanent impairment of ocular dominance plasticity (OD) or to an alteration in the timing of the critical period. Ferrets were exposed to alcohol during a brief period of development prior to eye opening and effects of monocular deprivation examined during early, mid and late critical period. Single-unit electrophysiology revealed markedly reduced OD plasticity at every age examined. This finding provides evidence that early alcohol exposure does not affect the timing or duration of the critical period of OD plasticity and suggests an enduring impairment of neural plasticity in FAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 1101 E Marshall Street, Sanger Hall Room 12-042, Richmond, VA 23298-0709, USA. amedina@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Alexandre E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Ary S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ramoa
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003423:Critical Period, Psychological; D023882:Dominance, Ocular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005289:Ferrets; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000187:drug effects; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D012683:Sensory Deprivation / Q000502:physiology; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D015349:Vision, Monocular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol