EFFECTS OF PRENATAL ETHANOL EXPOSURE ON THE HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROCHEMISTRY OF ALBINO-RATS AT 90 DAYS OF POSTNATAL AGE

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that prenatal ethano l exposure alters the hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic neurochemistr y of albino rats. STUDY DESIGN: Ethanol was administered in a liquid d iet to pregnant albino Sprague-Dawley rats. Liquid diet control animal s received the same diet in which ethanol was replaced by an isocalori c amount of maltose-dextrin. Chow-fed control animals were fed laborat ory chow as desired. Progeny were killed at 90 days of age, and their hippocampi were analyzed for muscarinic cholinergic receptors by use o f tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate. RESULTS: Prenatal ethanol exposur e produced a statistically significant decrease in the number of musca rinic receptors in males. Similar trends were noted in females, but th e results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Prenatal eth anol treatment caused long-lasting alterations in the muscarinic choli nergic receptors of the hippocampus in male rats.