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 ethanol exposure alters the hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic neurochemistry of albino rats. STUDY DESIGN: Ethanol was administered in a liquid diet to pregnant albino Sprague-Dawley rats. Liquid diet control animals received the same diet in which ethanol was replaced by an isocaloric amount of maltose-dextrin. Chow-fed control animals were fed laboratory chow as desired. Progeny were killed at 90 days of age, and their hippocampi were analyzed for muscarinic cholinergic receptors by use of tritiated quinuclidinyl benzilate. RESULTS: Prenatal ethanol exposure produced a statistically significant decrease in the number of muscarinic receptors in males. Similar trends were noted in females, but the results were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Prenatal ethanol treatment caused long-lasting alterations in the muscarinic cholinergic receptors of the hippocampus in male rats.