Third Trimester-Equivalent Ethanol Exposure Increases Anxiety-like Behavior and Glutamatergic Transmission in the Basolateral Amygdala

Publication date: Available online 15 August 2015 Source:Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior Author(s): Brian C. Baculis, Marvin R. Diaz, C. Fernando Valenzuela Ethanol consumption during pregnancy produces a wide range of morphological and behavioral alterations known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Among the behavioral deficits associated with FASD is an increased probability of developing anxiety disorders. Studies with animal models of FASD have demonstrated that ethanol exposure during the equivalent to the 1st and 2nd trimesters of human pregnancy increases anxiety-like behavior. Here, we examined the impact on this type of behavior of exposure to high doses of ethanol in vapor inhalation chambers during the rat equivalent to the human 3rd trimester of pregnancy (i.e., neonatal period in these animals). We evaluated anxiety-like behavior with the elevated plus maze. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological techniques in brain slices, we also characterized glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic transmission in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region that has been implicated to play a role in emotional behavior. We found that ethanol-exposed adolescent offspring preferred the closed arms over the open arms in the elevated plus maze and displayed lower head dipping activity than controls. Electrophysiological measurements showed an increase in the frequency of spontaneous and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in pyramidal neurons fr...
Source: Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research