The morphological and behavioral (mental) changes produced in the offspring of women who consume significant amounts of alcohol while pregnant, known as the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) has been recognized as a significant public health problem. Although preventable through abstinence on the part of the pregnant women, the incidence of FAS is expected to continue at significant levels. Full or partial expression of the syndrome is currently found in from three to five births per thousand. The most debilitating defect of FAS, particularly in the partial expression of the syndrome, is the mental retardation found in the offspring. Since, despite its preventability, the syndrome continues to occur, it is important to determine if post-natal environmental interventions are able, in any way, to ameliorate the effects of gestational alcohol. The proposed experiments are designed to evaluate the effects of one such intervention, environmental enrichment during early development, on the behavioral deficits produced by exposure to alcohol during gestation in an animal model of the FAS. Three experiments are proposed to examine the effects of environmental enrichment on two classes of adaptive behavior: unlearned or instinctive, and learned or conditional. In Experiment I, the exploratory and stimulus-seeking behavior of white rats exposed to gestational alcohol in a liquid diet (10% v/v) and raised in enriched environments from birth to age 50 days will be compared to similar animals raised in either group cage or an impoverished environment, and to appropriate pair-fed controls. One set of groups will be tested at 50 days of age, another set tested at 90 days of age. In Experiment II, 110 day old white rats exposed to gestational alcohol and raised in an enriched stimulus environment for 60 days will be tested for spatial memory. Their performance will be compared to the performance of animals raised in groups, animals raised in isolation, and appropriate pair-fed controls. In Experiment III, 110 day old white rats exposed to gestational alcohol, and raised in an enriched stimulus environment for 60 days will be trained on a form discrimation and reversal. Their performance will be compared to the performance of animals exposed to gestational alcohol and raised in groups or an impoverished environment and to the performance of the offspring of pair-fed control dams. Appropriate controls for rearing conditions and litter effects will be used. The results of these two experiments will yield information on the effects of stimulus enrichment on the hyperactivity and learning deficits in animals exposed to alcohol during gestation.
| Shetlar, C L; Cogan, D C; Sparkman, G W et al. (1986) Zinc and ethanol: dietary interrelationships in pregnant rats. Alcohol 3:145-52 |
