Social behavior is affected by prenatal exposure to ethanol. The oxytocin system in the amygdala is thought to play a major role in social behavior. We will test the hypothesis that acute exposure during gastrulation (gestational day (G) 7) or during the time of generation of amygdala neurons (G14) will result in a significant deficit in social behavior. Animals will be given ethanol on G7 or G14. Offspring will undergo social behavior testing then the brains will be collected for analysis of the effect of ethanol on the amygdala. These studies will provide valuable data on the etiology of the social behavior deficits associated with prenatal exposure to ethanol and will begin to examine the mechanism(s) underlying such deficits.
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