Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats

John H. Hannigan; Robert F Berman; Carol S. Zajac

doi:10.1016/0892-0362(93)90007-B

Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats

John H. Hannigan, Robert F Berman, Carol S. Zajac

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

79 Scopus citations

Abstract

Animals exposed prenatally to alcohol (4 g/kg/day) via maternal peroral intubation or control offspring were reared after weaning either alone in standard steel/wire cages or in groups of eight, for 6 weeks. Rats exposed prenatally to alcohol and reared in isolation had a dysmetric stride length indicative of an ataxic gait. However, following postweaning environmental enrichment, prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed no evidence of ataxia. In addition, the prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed the same magnitude of improved Morris maze performance after enrichment as did the control offspring. These preliminary results suggest that postnatal environment can influence the expression of alcohol-related birth defects in rats, that rats exposed prenatally to alcohol can benefit from the effects of enriched postweaning environment and that postnatal factors can attenuate some of the deficits due to prenatal alcohol exposure.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	261-266
Number of pages	6
Journal	Neurotoxicology and Teratology
Volume	15
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0892-0362(93)90007-B
State	Published - 1993
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Ataxia
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Gait
Learning
Treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuroscience(all)
Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Toxicology

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10.1016/0892-0362(93)90007-B

Cite this

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title = "Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats",

abstract = "Animals exposed prenatally to alcohol (4 g/kg/day) via maternal peroral intubation or control offspring were reared after weaning either alone in standard steel/wire cages or in groups of eight, for 6 weeks. Rats exposed prenatally to alcohol and reared in isolation had a dysmetric stride length indicative of an ataxic gait. However, following postweaning environmental enrichment, prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed no evidence of ataxia. In addition, the prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed the same magnitude of improved Morris maze performance after enrichment as did the control offspring. These preliminary results suggest that postnatal environment can influence the expression of alcohol-related birth defects in rats, that rats exposed prenatally to alcohol can benefit from the effects of enriched postweaning environment and that postnatal factors can attenuate some of the deficits due to prenatal alcohol exposure.",

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T1 - Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats

AU - Hannigan, John H.

AU - Berman, Robert F

AU - Zajac, Carol S.

PY - 1993

Y1 - 1993

N2 - Animals exposed prenatally to alcohol (4 g/kg/day) via maternal peroral intubation or control offspring were reared after weaning either alone in standard steel/wire cages or in groups of eight, for 6 weeks. Rats exposed prenatally to alcohol and reared in isolation had a dysmetric stride length indicative of an ataxic gait. However, following postweaning environmental enrichment, prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed no evidence of ataxia. In addition, the prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed the same magnitude of improved Morris maze performance after enrichment as did the control offspring. These preliminary results suggest that postnatal environment can influence the expression of alcohol-related birth defects in rats, that rats exposed prenatally to alcohol can benefit from the effects of enriched postweaning environment and that postnatal factors can attenuate some of the deficits due to prenatal alcohol exposure.

AB - Animals exposed prenatally to alcohol (4 g/kg/day) via maternal peroral intubation or control offspring were reared after weaning either alone in standard steel/wire cages or in groups of eight, for 6 weeks. Rats exposed prenatally to alcohol and reared in isolation had a dysmetric stride length indicative of an ataxic gait. However, following postweaning environmental enrichment, prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed no evidence of ataxia. In addition, the prenatal alcohol-exposed rats showed the same magnitude of improved Morris maze performance after enrichment as did the control offspring. These preliminary results suggest that postnatal environment can influence the expression of alcohol-related birth defects in rats, that rats exposed prenatally to alcohol can benefit from the effects of enriched postweaning environment and that postnatal factors can attenuate some of the deficits due to prenatal alcohol exposure.

KW - Ataxia

KW - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

KW - Gait

KW - Learning

KW - Treatment

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Environmental enrichment and the behavioral effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol in rats

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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