RECOGNITION OF FOOD IN WEANLING RATS EXPOSED TO ALCOHOL PRENATALLY

Offspring of rats fed a liquid diet containing ethanol during their pr egnancies were compared to controls on a caloric discrimination test b eginning at 22 days of age. All pups received simultaneous choice betw een a palatable, noncaloric diet and a similar diet containing starch. Each diet contained a distinctive flavor. To test for flavor preferen ce learning, pups then received an extinction test: a simultaneous cho ice between two noncaloric diets, identical except for flavor. Prenata l alcohol exposure had no substantial effect on the caloric discrimina tion, and all groups preferentially ingested the starch diet on all te st days. However, during the extinction test, alcohol-exposed pups sho wed a significantly weaker flavor preference than control pups. These data extend the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on learning and i ngestive behavior to include solid food discriminations at the time of weaning.