title: Timing of moderate level prenatal alcohol exposure influences gene expression of sensory processing behavior in rhesus monkeys.
abstract: Sensory processing disorder, characterized by over- or under-responsivity to non-noxious environmental stimuli, is a common but poorly understood disorder. We examined the role of prenatal alcohol exposure, serotonin transporter gene polymorphic region variation (rh5-HTTLPR), and striatal dopamine (DA) function on behavioral measures of sensory responsivity to repeated non-noxious sensory stimuli in macaque monkeys. Results indicated that early gestation alcohol exposure induced behavioral under-responsivity to environmental stimuli in monkeys carrying the short (s) rh5-HTTLPR allele compared to both early-exposed monkeys homozygous for the long (l) allele and monkeys from middle-to-late exposed pregnancies and controls, regardless of genotype. Moreover, prenatal timing of alcohol exposure altered the relationship between sensory scores and DA D(2)R availability. In early-exposed monkeys, a positive relationship was shown between sensory scores and DA D(2)R availability, with low or blunted DA function associated with under-responsive sensory function. The opposite pattern was found for the middle-to-late gestation alcohol-exposed group. These findings raise questions about how the timing of prenatal perturbation and genotype contributes to effects on neural processing and possibly alters neural connections.
authors: Department of Kinesiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI, USA.
authors: Mary L
authors: ML
authors: Schneider
authors: Colleen F
authors: CF
authors: Moore
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Larson
authors: Christina S
authors: CS
authors: Barr
authors: Onofre T
authors: OT
authors: Dejesus
authors: Andrew D
authors: AD
authors: Roberts