Early Postnatal Ethanol Exposure Has Long-Term Behavioral Consequences in Female Mice.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Biology
• Toxicology

Background:

• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs) affect nearly 5% of US children, causing lifelong neurological and behavioral issues.
• Early-life ethanol (EtOH) exposure can alter brain myelination, particularly in the cerebellum, a region critical for motor control.
• Previous studies show altered oligodendrocyte and myelination transcripts in the cerebellum after early EtOH exposure in mice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate long-term effects of early-life EtOH exposure on cerebellar-recruited behaviors in adult female mice.
• To determine if changes in oligodendrocyte lineage markers in the cerebellum persist into adulthood following early EtOH exposure.

Main Methods:

• Female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to ethanol (EtOH) or saline subcutaneously from postnatal day 4 to 9.
• Adult female mice (postnatal day 60-90) underwent behavioral testing, including open field, rotarod, and balance beam tests.
• Cerebella were collected from behavior-naïve mice (postnatal day 105) for qPCR analysis of oligodendrocyte lineage transcripts.

Main Results:

• EtOH-exposed adult female mice exhibited increased ambulatory behavior in the open field test.
• Subtle behavioral differences were observed in rotarod and balance beam tests compared to controls.
• Alterations in oligodendrocyte lineage transcripts observed earlier (postnatal day 10) did not persist into adulthood.

Conclusions:

• Subcutaneous EtOH administration during a critical developmental window (postnatal days 4-9) results in persistent long-term behavioral consequences.
• These consequences include lasting effects on locomotor activity and cerebellar-dependent behaviors in female mice.
• Despite behavioral changes, the molecular impact on cerebellar oligodendrocyte lineage markers is transient.