Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2025
04:50
Modeling Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Zebrafish to Characterize the Impact of an Adverse Embryonic Environment on Adult Social Behavior
Published on: February 9, 2024
320
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: The Honey Bee as a Social Animal Model
Marcelo P Camilli1, Olena M Simko1, Breanne Bevelander1
1Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 27, 2024
Summary
Honey bees exposed to ethanol during larval development show developmental delays and reduced motor activity, suggesting their potential as a model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Animal models are crucial for understanding fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
- Existing models often fail to fully replicate FASD's behavioral and clinical signs.
- The honey bee (Apis mellifera) offers a unique, highly social model for FASD research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on honey bee larval development and adult behavior.
- To evaluate the honey bee as a potential animal model for FASD.
Main Methods:
- Honey bee larvae were reared in vitro with diets containing 0, 3, 6, or 10% ethanol.
- Developmental time, survival rates, adult body weight, and motor activity were measured.
Main Results:
- Ethanol exposure (6% and 10%) significantly delayed pupation and reduced survival and adult body weight in a dose-dependent manner.
- All ethanol-exposed adult bees exhibited significantly decreased motor activity.
- These findings indicate ethanol's detrimental effects on honey bee development and behavior.
Conclusions:
- Honey bees demonstrate sensitivity to developmental ethanol exposure, mirroring some FASD outcomes.
- The honey bee's social structure and responsiveness make it a promising new model for FASD research.
