Using drinking in the dark to model prenatal binge-like exposure to ethanol in C57BL/6J mice.
Animal models of prenatal ethanol exposure are necessary to more fully understand the effects of ethanol on the developing embryo/fetus. However, most models employ procedures that may produce additional maternal stress beyond that produced by ethanol alone. We employed a daily limited-access ethanol intake model called Drinking in the Dark (DID) to assess the effects of voluntary maternal binge-like ethanol intake on the developing mouse. Evidence suggests that binge exposure may be particularly harmful to the embryo/fetus, perhaps due to the relatively higher blood ethanol concentrations achieved. Pregnant females had mean daily ethanol intakes ranging from 4.2 to 6.4 g/kg ethanol over gestation, producing blood ethanol concentrations ranging from 115 to 182 mg/dL. This level of ethanol intake produced behavioral alterations among adolescent offspring that disappeared by adulthood, including altered sensitivity to ethanol's hypnotic actions. The DID model may provide a useful tool for studying the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure in mice.
Boehm
Stephen L
SL
Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University-SUNY, PO Box 6000, Binghamton, NY 13902-6000, USA. sboehm@binghamton.edu
Moore
Eileen M
EM
Walsh
Cherie D
CD
Gross
Carly D
CD
Cavelli
Austin M
AM
Gigante
Eduardo
E
Linsenbardt
David N
DN
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000097:blood*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003624:Darkness; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014867:Water / Q000008:administration & dosage
D014867:Water; D000431:Ethanol