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Bird CW, Mayfield SS, Lopez KM, Dunn BR, Feng A, Roberts BT, Almeida RN, Chavez GJ, Valenzuela CF. Binge-like ethanol exposure during the brain growth spurt disrupts the function of retrosplenial cortex-projecting anterior thalamic neurons in adolescent mice. Neuropharmacology 2023; 241:109738. [PMID: 37778437 PMCID: PMC10842955 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 09/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Ethanol (EtOH) exposure during late pregnancy leads to enduring impairments in learning and memory that may stem from damage to components of the posterior limbic memory system, including the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) and anterior thalamic nuclei (ATN). In rodents, binge-like EtOH exposure during the first week of life (equivalent to the third trimester of human pregnancy) triggers apoptosis in these brain regions. We hypothesized that this effect induces long-lasting alterations in the function of RSC-projecting ATN neurons. To test this hypothesis, vesicular GABA transporter-Venus mice (expressing fluorescently tagged GABAergic interneurons) were subjected to binge-like EtOH vapor exposure on postnatal day (P) 7. This paradigm activated caspase 3 in the anterodorsal (AD), anteroventral (AV), and reticular thalamic nuclei at P7 but did not reduce neuronal density in these areas at P60-70. At P40-60, we injected red retrobeads into the RSC and performed patch-clamp slice electrophysiological recordings from retrogradely labeled neurons in the AD and AV nuclei 3-4 days later. We found significant effects of treatment on instantaneous action potential (AP) frequency and AP overshoot, as well as sex × treatment interactions for AP threshold and overshoot in AD neurons. A sex × treatment interaction was detected for AP number in AV neurons. EtOH exposure also reduced the frequency and amplitude of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents and increased the charge transfer of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents. These results highlight a novel cellular mechanism that could contribute to the lasting learning and memory deficits associated with developmental EtOH exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Stefanie S Mayfield
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Katalina M Lopez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Brooke R Dunn
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Angela Feng
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Bryce T Roberts
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Roberto N Almeida
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Glenna J Chavez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
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Anagnostopoulos C, Anastassiadou M, Castoldi AF, Cavelier A, Coja T, Crivellente F, Dujardin B, Hart A, Hooghe W, Jarrah S, Machera K, Menegola E, Metruccio F, Sieke C, Mohimont L. Retrospective cumulative dietary risk assessment of craniofacial alterations by residues of pesticides. EFSA J 2022; 20:e07550. [PMID: 36237417 PMCID: PMC9536188 DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
EFSA established cumulative assessment groups and conducted retrospective cumulative risk assessments for two types of craniofacial alterations (alterations due to abnormal skeletal development, head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects) for 14 European populations of women in childbearing age. Cumulative acute exposure calculations were performed by probabilistic modelling using monitoring data collected by Member States in 2017, 2018 and 2019. A rigorous uncertainty analysis was performed using expert knowledge elicitation. Considering all sources of uncertainty, their dependencies and differences between populations, it was concluded with varying degrees of certainty that the MOET resulting from cumulative exposure is above 100 for the two types of craniofacial alterations. The threshold for regulatory consideration established by risk managers is therefore not exceeded. Considering the severity of the effects under consideration, it was also assessed whether the MOET is above 500. This was the case with varying levels of certainty for the head soft tissue alterations and brain neural tube defects. However, for the alterations due to abnormal skeletal development, it was found about as likely as not that the MOET is above 500 in most populations. For two populations, it was even found more likely that the MOET is below 500. These results were discussed in the light of the conservatism of the methodological approach.
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“Now, with a bit more knowledge, I understand why I'm asking those questions.” Midwives’ perspectives on their role in the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership's programme to Reduce Alcohol Exposed Pregnancies (AEP). Midwifery 2022; 110:103335. [DOI: 10.1016/j.midw.2022.103335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 04/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Associations of education and work status with alcohol use and cessation among pregnant women in Japan: the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:1400. [PMID: 34266393 PMCID: PMC8281686 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11461-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background There is inconsistent evidence on the associations of education and work status with alcohol use during pregnancy. Our aim was to examine the associations of education and work status with alcohol use and alcohol cessation during pregnancy in Japan. Methods Data were analyzed from 11,839 pregnant women who participated in the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study from 2013 to 2017 in Japan. Women were dichotomized as current drinkers or non-drinkers in both early and middle pregnancy. Alcohol cessation was defined as alcohol use in early pregnancy, but not in middle pregnancy. Multivariable log-binomial regression analyses were conducted to examine associations of education and work status with alcohol use in early and middle pregnancy and alcohol cessation, adjusted for age and income. The prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated by work status and education. Results The prevalence of alcohol use in early and middle pregnancy was 20.9 and 6.4%, respectively. Higher education was associated with alcohol use in early pregnancy both among working and non-working women; the PRs of university education or higher compared with high school education or lower were 1.62 (95% CI, 1.34–1.96) and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.16–1.45), respectively. Higher education was associated with alcohol cessation during pregnancy among working women; the corresponding PR was 1.09 (95% CI, 1.01–1.17). Working was associated with alcohol use in early and middle pregnancy. Working was associated with a decreased probability of alcohol cessation among women with lower education but with an increased probability of alcohol cessation among women with higher education; the PRs of working compared with not working were 0.91 (95% CI, 0.82–1.00) and 1.10 (95% CI, 1.00–1.20), respectively. Conclusions Women with higher education were more likely to consume alcohol in early pregnancy and to cease alcohol use between early and middle pregnancy, especially working women. Working women were more likely to consume alcohol throughout pregnancy. Working women with lower education were less likely to cease alcohol use, whereas working women with higher education were more likely to cease alcohol use between early and middle pregnancy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11461-w.
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Jacquez B, Choi H, Bird CW, Linsenbardt DN, Valenzuela CF. Characterization of motor function in mice developmentally exposed to ethanol using the Catwalk system: Comparison with the triple horizontal bar and rotarod tests. Behav Brain Res 2020; 396:112885. [PMID: 32860829 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Studies with human subjects indicate that ethanol exposure during fetal development causes long-lasting alterations in motor coordination that are, in part, a consequence of cerebellar damage. Studies with rats exposed to ethanol during the neonatal brain growth spurt have consistently recapitulated these deficits. However, studies with mice have yielded mixed results. We hypothesized that the use of highly sensitive motor function tests, such as the Catwalk test, would reliably detect motor function deficits in mice developmentally exposed to ethanol. Venus-vesicular GABA transporter transgenic mice were ethanol exposed during postnatal days 4-9 using vapor inhalation chambers and then subjected to the Catwalk test during adolescence. Catwalk data were rigorously analyzed using an innovative multistep statistical approach. For comparison, motor coordination and strength were assessed with the triple horizontal bar and rotarod tests. Unexpectedly, we found that out of 186 parameters analyzed in the Catwalk test, only one was affected by ethanol exposure (i.e., reduced coupling between left front paw and the right hind paw). In the triple horizontal bar test, ethanol-exposed mice were able to hold to the bars for less time than controls. Surprisingly, ethanol-exposed mice performed better in the rotarod test than controls. These data indicate that neonatal ethanol exposure of mice causes mixed effects on motor function during adolescence. The Catwalk test suggests that gait is generally preserved in these mice, whereas the triple horizontal bar test revealed deficits on motor strength and the rotarod test an increase in motor coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belkis Jacquez
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Hyesun Choi
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Clark W Bird
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - David N Linsenbardt
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.
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Understanding the Relationship between Predictors of Alcohol Consumption in Pregnancy: Towards Effective Prevention of FASD. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17041388. [PMID: 32098098 PMCID: PMC7068254 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17041388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal alcohol exposure can produce serious changes in neurodevelopment that last a lifetime, as well as a wide range of congenital abnormalities, and is the main non-hereditary, avoidable cause of intellectual disability in developed countries. It is therefore crucial to understand the determinants of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This study is aimed at determining the factors that predict it, as well as the interactions between them. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out using a random sample of 426 pregnant women being treated at the outpatient clinic of a public university hospital in Seville (Spain), when they were in their twentieth week of pregnancy. A custom-designed questionnaire was used for data collection and applied in the course of an interview administered by trained health professionals. The data collected were analyzed using hierarchical regression, moderation analysis, and a structural equations model. RESULTS Alcohol consumption prior to pregnancy proved to be the most powerful predictor of alcohol intake during pregnancy. Other particularly significant predictors were the percentage of professionals who gave correct advice to the expectant mother-not to consume any alcohol during pregnancy-and perception of the risk from drinking wine during pregnancy. The number of pregnancies correlates positively with alcohol intake during pregnancy, while the expectant mother's level of education correlates negatively. CONCLUSIONS Identifying these predictive factors will allow the design of more effective fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) prevention strategies.
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Bird CW, Barber MJ, Post HR, Jacquez B, Chavez GJ, Faturos NG, Valenzuela CF. Neonatal ethanol exposure triggers apoptosis in the murine retrosplenial cortex: Role of inhibition of NMDA receptor-driven action potential firing. Neuropharmacology 2019; 162:107837. [PMID: 31689422 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.107837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to ethanol during the last trimester equivalent of human pregnancy causes apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing brain, an effect that is thought to be mediated, in part, by inhibition of NMDA receptors. However, NMDA receptors can rapidly adapt to the acute effects of ethanol and are ethanol resistant in some populations of developing neurons. Here, we characterized the effect of ethanol on NMDA and non-NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission in the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), a brain region involved in the integration of different modalities of spatial information that is among the most sensitive regions to ethanol-induced neurodegeneration. A single 4-h exposure to ethanol vapor of 7-day-old transgenic mice that express the Venus fluorescent protein in interneurons triggered extensive apoptosis in the RSC. Slice electrophysiological recordings showed that bath-applied ethanol inhibits NMDA and non-NMDA receptor excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in pyramidal neurons and interneurons; however, we found no evidence of acute tolerance development to this effect after the 4-h in-vivo ethanol vapor exposure. Acute bath application of ethanol reduced action potential firing evoked by synaptic stimulation to a greater extent in pyramidal neurons than interneurons. Submaximal inhibition of NMDA EPSCs, but not non-NMDA EPSCs, mimicked the acute effect of ethanol on synaptically-evoked action potential firing. These findings indicate that partial inhibition of NMDA receptors by ethanol has sizable effects on the excitability of glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons in the developing RSC, and suggest that positive allosteric modulators of these receptors could ameliorate ethanol intoxication-induced neurodegeneration during late stages of fetal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clark W Bird
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Megan J Barber
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Hilary R Post
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Belkis Jacquez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Glenna J Chavez
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Nicholas G Faturos
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - C Fernando Valenzuela
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.
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