EFFECT OF PRENATAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE ON NEONATAL SLEEP-WAKE BEHAVIOUR AND ADULT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION IN THE AA AND ANA RAT LINES

To study the role of genetic factors in the effects of prenatalalcohol exposure on behaviour, dams of two rat lines developedto differ in voluntary alcohol intake, alcohol-preferring (AA)and alcohol-avoiding (ANA) rats were given a 5–10% alcoholsolution mixed with a 1% sucrose solution as a sole drinkingliquid throughout gestation. Sleep-wake behaviour of the offspringwas studied at the ages of 7, 14 and 20 days, using a movement-sensitivemattress. In ANA rats, sleep recordings showed that prenatalalcohol exposure increased the percentage of waking but decreasedthe percentage of active sleep. Sleep-wake behaviour of theAA rats was not affected by alcohol exposure in utero. Prenatalalcohol exposure did not change open field behaviour in 1 monthold rats, except that the alcohol-exposed AA rats' defaecationwas decreased. When rats were 3 months old, voluntary intakeof 10% (v/v) alcohol increased for alcohol-exposed ANA ratsand decreased for alcohol-exposed AA rats as compared to thecontrols. The results indicate that AA rats may compensate forthe effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on behaviour, whereasoffspring of the alcohol-exposed ANA dams suffer from severebehavioural disturbances. These Findings further suggest thatgenetic factors are responsible for the differences in the susceptibilityof rat foetuses to alcohol-induced long-term effects on behaviour.