EFFECTS OF ETHYL-ALCOHOL ADMINISTRATION TO THA RAT DAMS DURING THEIR GESTATION PERIOD ON LEARNING-BEHAVIOR AND ON LEVELS OF MONOAMINES AND METABOLITES IN THE BRAIN OF PUPS AFTER BIRTH

Children born from chronic alcoholic mothers have shown behavioral ter atogenic effects more frequently than morphological malformations. To investigate the possible mechanisms and evaluate maternal alcohol dosa ge levels to induce behavioral dysfunctions, we gave pregnant Tokai Hi gh Avoider (THA) rats 0, 5, 10, and 20% ethanol (EtOH) as drinking wat er during the gestation period. We evaluated the brain function of pup s born of alcohol-administered dams. Sidman avoidance behavior test an d the levels of monoamines (noradrenalin, dopamine, and serotonin) and metabolites (3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid, homovanillic acid, and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid) in whole brain were examined for neurobeh avioral and neurochemical effects. EtOH-exposed THA offsprings showed high pre- and postnatal mortality, growth deficits, and brain weight r eductions. Compared with the results of the same conditioning experime nt using Wistar rats, the THA rat may have higher susceptibility to th e effects of in utero EtOH exposure than Wistar rats. EtOH-exposed THA pups exhibited deficits in avoidance operant learning that were not s hown in Wistar rats. We also observed the increased levels of all mono amines that were assumed to be related with the deficit of learning, t he decreased levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenyl acetic acid and homovanilli c acid, and the unchanged levels of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid in pup s from darns administered 10 and 20% EtOH. However, contrary alteratio n of monoamines and their metabolites were shown in pups from 5% EtOH- administered dams.