RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Neonatal Alcohol Exposure Induces Long-Lasting Impairment of Visual Cortical Plasticity in Ferrets
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 10002
OP 10012
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-31-10002.2003
VO 23
IS 31
A1 Alexandre E. Medina
A1 Thomas E. Krahe
A1 David M. Coppola
A1 Ary S. Ramoa
YR 2003
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/23/31/10002.abstract
AB Fetal alcohol syndrome is a major cause of learning and sensory deficits. These disabilities may result from disruption of neocortex development and plasticity. Alcohol exposure during the third trimester equivalent of human gestation may have especially severe and long-lasting consequences on learning and sensory processing, because this is when the functional properties and connectivity of neocortical neurons start to develop. To address this issue, we used the monocular deprivation model of neural plasticity, which shares many common mechanisms with learning. Ferrets were exposed to ethanol (3.5 mg/kg, i.p.) on alternate days for 3 weeks starting on postnatal day (P) 10. Animals were then monocularly deprived at the peak of ocular dominance plasticity after a prolonged alcohol-free period (15-20 d). Quantitative single-unit electrophysiology revealed that alcohol exposure disrupted ocular dominance plasticity while preserving robust visual responses. Moreover, optical imaging of intrinsic signals revealed that the reduction in visual cortex area driven by the deprived eye was much less pronounced in ethanol-treated than in control animals. Alcohol exposure starting at a later age (P20) did not disrupt ocular dominance plasticity, indicating that timing of exposure is crucial for the effects on visual plasticity. In conclusion, alcohol exposure during a brief period of development impairs ocular dominance plasticity at a later age. This model provides a novel approach to investigate the consequences of fetal alcohol exposure and should contribute to elucidate how alcohol disrupts neural plasticity.