Alcohol
Volume 21, Issue 1 , Pages 1-9, May 2000

Effects of chronic prenatal ethanol exposure on hippocampal glutamate release in the postnatal guinea pig

  • N.S Butters

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
    • ,
  • M.A.S Gibson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
    • ,
  • J.N Reynolds

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
    • Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
    • ,
  • J.F Brien

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7L 3N6
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1-613-533-6114; fax: +1-613-533-6412

Received 23 July 1999; received in revised form 25 October 1999; accepted 25 October 1999.

Abstract 

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that chronic prenatal ethanol exposure decreases basal and stimulated l-glutamate release in the hippocampus of young, postnatal guinea pigs. Timed, pregnant guinea pigs were randomly assigned to one of the following three chronic treatment groups: 4 g ethanol/kg maternal body weight/day, isocaloric-sucrose and pair-feeding to the ethanol group, and water. Each oral treatment was given daily throughout gestation. Spontaneous locomotor activity was increased on postnatal day (PD) 10, and brain and hippocampal weights were decreased on PD 12 in the offspring of the ethanol group compared with the isocaloric-sucrose/pair-fed and water groups. On PD 12, the 45 mM K+- and 10 μM veratridine-stimulated release of glutamate in transverse hippocampal slices was decreased in the ethanol group compared with the two control groups. This alteration in glutamate release produced by chronic prenatal ethanol exposure may decrease the efficiency of excitatory synaptic transmission in the hippocampus during postnatal life.

Keywords:  Chronic prenatal ethanol exposure, Glutamate release, Hippocampus, Postnatal guinea pig

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PII: S0741-8329(99)00096-8

Alcohol
Volume 21, Issue 1 , Pages 1-9, May 2000

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