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Hippocampal cholinergic alterations and related behavioral deficits after early exposure to ethanol
Author(s) -
Pick Chaim G.,
Cooperman Michael,
Trombka David,
RogelFuchs Yael,
Yanai Joseph
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/0736-5748(93)90009-3
Subject(s) - cholinergic , hippocampal formation , choline acetyltransferase , endocrinology , medicine , ethanol , muscarinic acetylcholine receptor , postsynaptic potential , biology , neuroscience , receptor , biochemistry
The present study was designed to ascertain septohippocampal cholinergic alterations and their related behavioral deficits after early exposure to ethanol. Mouse pups were exposed to ethanol, 3 g/kg by daily subcutaneous injection on postnatal days 2–14. At age 50 days, the ethanol‐exposed mice had significant reductions from control levels in eight‐arm maze performance. For example, on the fourth testing day, the number of correct entries in the ethanol group was 21% below control levels ( P < 0.05) and the number of trials needed to enter all arms was 48% above control ( P < 0.001). It took the ethanol‐exposed mice twice the time to reach criterion than it did control ( P < 0.01). A 33% increase from control level in muscarinic receptor number ( β max ) was found in the treated mice of age 22 days and a 64% increase at age 50 days ( P < 0.001). However, no differences between control and treated groups could be detected in the presynaptic component of the cholinergic innervation, choline acetyltransferase activity. The results suggest that early ethanol exposure acts on hippocampal function similarly to phenobarbital, probably via alterations in postsynaptic processes in the septohippocampal cholinergic pathways.