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Updated: Apr 25, 2026

Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats
Published on: December 14, 2014
Familial risk for alcohol dependence and developmental changes in BMI: the moderating influence of addiction and
Sarah D Lichenstein1, Bobby L Jones, Jessica W O'Brien
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
Aim:
Familial loading for alcohol dependence (AD) and variation in genes reported to be associated with AD or BMI were tested in a longitudinal study.
Materials & Methods:
Growth curve analyses of BMI data collected at approximately yearly intervals and obesity status (BMI > 30) were examined.
Results:
High-risk males were found to have higher BMI than low-risk males, beginning at age 15 years (2.0 kg/m(2) difference; p = 0.046), persisting through age 19 years (3.3 kg/m(2) difference; p = 0.005). CHRM2 genotypic variance predicted longitudinal BMI and obesity status. Interactions with risk status and sex were also observed for DRD2 and FTO gene variation.
Conclusion:
Variation at loci implicated in addiction may be influential in determining susceptibility to increased BMI in childhood and adolescence.
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19:57The Use of Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning to Assess Hippocampal Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
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