Biomaterial Database

Prenatal alcohol exposure and thermotaxic behavior in neonatal rats. 1987

B Zimmerberg, and J W Beckstead, and E P Riley

Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Albany 12222.

The effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on thermotaxic behavior was investigated in 5-day-old rat pups. Pregnant dams were administered a liquid diet which contained 35% ethanol-derived calories (35% EDC) on days 6 to 20 of gestation. Two control groups were included: a liquid diet control which was pair-fed and had sucrose substituted for ethanol (0% EDC), and a group fed standard lab chow (LC) throughout pregnancy. Pups from each of these prenatal treatments were tested on a thermal gradient (thermocline). On each of 5 trails, pups were placed in the cool end of the thermocline and their position along the gradient was measured after 10 min. All prenatal treatment groups displayed thermotaxic behavior by moving towards the warm end. However, pups in the 35% EDC treatment group moved significantly further towards the warm end in the later trials. Despite their position on a warmer surface, their body temperature did not rise concurrently. Thermoregulatory deficits caused by prenatal alcohol exposure might account for these results.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D001833	Body Temperature Regulation	The processes of heating and cooling that an organism uses to control its temperature.	Heat Loss,Thermoregulation,Regulation, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulation, Body,Body Temperature Regulations,Heat Losses,Loss, Heat,Losses, Heat,Regulations, Body Temperature,Temperature Regulations, Body,Thermoregulations
D001835	Body Weight	The mass or quantity of heaviness of an individual. It is expressed by units of pounds or kilograms.	Body Weights,Weight, Body,Weights, Body
D005260	Female		Females
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000831	Animals, Newborn	Refers to animals in the period of time just after birth.	Animals, Neonatal,Animal, Neonatal,Animal, Newborn,Neonatal Animal,Neonatal Animals,Newborn Animal,Newborn Animals
D012881	Skin Temperature	The TEMPERATURE at the outer surface of the body.	Skin Temperatures,Temperature, Skin,Temperatures, Skin
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus
D063647	Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders	An umbrella term used to describe a pattern of disabilities and abnormalities that result from fetal exposure to ETHANOL during pregnancy. It encompasses a phenotypic range that can vary greatly between individuals, but reliably includes one or more of the following: characteristic facial dysmorphism, FETAL GROWTH RETARDATION, central nervous system abnormalities, cognitive and/or behavioral dysfunction, BIRTH DEFECTS. The level of maternal alcohol consumption does not necessarily correlate directly with disease severity.	Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder,Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder,Alcohol-Related Birth Defects,FAE (Fetal Alcohol Effects),FASD,Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,Growth Retardation, Facial Abnormalities, and Central Nervous System Dysfunction,Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,Alcohol Related Birth Defects,Birth Defects, Alcohol-Related,FAEs (Fetal Alcohol Effects),FASDs,Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol