Effects of in utero ethanol exposure on the developing dopaminergic system in rats

✍ Scribed by Dr. M. J. Druse; N. Tajuddin; A. Kuo; M. Connerty

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1990
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 757 KB
• Volume: 27
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-4012
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.490270214

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Previous studies from this and other laboratories suggest that dopamine is decreased in selected brain regions of postnatal rats exposed to ethanol in utero. The present study expands previous work by examining the effects of in utero ethanol exposure on dopamine D~1~ and D~2~ binding sites and dopamine uptake in postnatal rats. In addition, dopamine content in the brain stem and frontal cortex of fetal and neonatal rats was examined.

The experimental results indicate that in utero ethanol exposure markedly affects the postnatal development of the dopaminergic system in the striatum and frontal cortex. We observed a marked, transient deficiency of striatal dopamine (>40% decrease at 19 days) and dopamine uptake sites (∼ 25% decrease in V ~max~ at 35 days). The B~max~ for striatal dopamine D~1~ binding sites was decreased by > 20% at both 19 and 35 days. Cortical D~1~ sites were markedly decreased at 19 days (> 40%). In contrast, the number of striatal D~2~ receptors was unaffected by in utero ethanol exposure at both ages.

Analysis of tissue from neonatal rats demonstrated a marked dopamine deficiency in ethanol‐exposed rats on postnatal day 5. In light of the proposed morphogenic actions of dopamine early in development, it is possible that the early dopamine deficiency contributes to the abnormal postnatal development of the dopaminergic system.