The effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on performance in hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and anxiety tasks by adult male and female rats

Authors

Gabriela Acosta, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jack Madden, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Ariyana LaCour, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Suzy Davies, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jeremy Hogeveen, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Daniel D. Savage, Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Nathan Pentkowski, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Benjamin Clark, Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

3-22-2024

Abstract

Moderate prenatal alcohol exposure (mPAE; ~60-80 mg/dL) has been found to result in structural alterations to the hippocampus. Although many studies have shown that mPAE impairs performance on hippocampal-dependent tasks, few studies have compared behavior across male and female mPAE rats. Thus, the present study was aimed at comparing performance by male and female mPAE rats in tests of spatial memory and anxiety. Overall, mPAE didn't significantly affect spatial tasks but decreased anxiety-like behaviors.

This research was supported by R01 AA029700 and P50 AA022534.

Recommended Citation

Acosta, Gabriela; Jack Madden; Ariyana LaCour; Suzy Davies; Jeremy Hogeveen; Daniel D. Savage; Nathan Pentkowski; and Benjamin Clark. "The effects of moderate prenatal alcohol exposure on performance in hippocampal-dependent spatial memory and anxiety tasks by adult male and female rats." (2024). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/hsc-bbhrd/185