Perez Roberto F, Conner Kathleen E, Erickson Michael A, Nabatanzi Mirembe, Huffman Kelly J
Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States.
Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States.
Front Neurosci. 2023 Mar 13;17:1147274. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1147274. eCollection 2023.
It is well documented that prenatal ethanol exposure maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy alters brain and behavioral development in offspring. Thus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises against maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. However, little emphasis has been placed on educating new parents about alcohol consumption while breastfeeding. This is partly due to a paucity of research on lactational ethanol exposure (LEE) effects in children; although, it has been shown that infants exposed to ethanol breast milk frequently present with reduced body mass, low verbal IQ scores, and altered sleeping patterns. As approximately 36% of breastfeeding mothers in the US consume alcohol, continued research in this area is critical. Our study employed a novel murine LEE model, where offspring were exposed to ethanol nursing from postnatal day (P) 6 through P20, a period correlated with infancy in humans. Compared to controls, LEE mice had reduced body weights and neocortical lengths at P20 and P30. Brain weights were also reduced in both ages in males, and at P20 for females, however, female brain weights recovered to control levels by P30. We investigated neocortical features and found that frontal cortex thickness was reduced in LEE males compared to controls. Analyses of dendritic spines in the prelimbic subdivision of medial prefrontal cortex revealed a trend of reduced densities in LEE mice. Results of behavioral tests suggest that LEE mice engage in higher risk-taking behavior, show abnormal stress regulation, and exhibit increased hyperactivity. In summary, our data describe potential adverse brain and behavioral developmental outcomes due to LEE. Thus, women should be advised to refrain from consuming alcohol during breastfeeding until additional research can better guide recommendations of safe maternal practices in early infancy.
有充分的文献记载，产前乙醇暴露（即孕期母亲饮酒）会改变后代的大脑和行为发育。因此，疾病控制中心（CDC）建议孕期母亲不要饮酒。然而，在教育新父母关于母乳喂养期间饮酒的问题上，人们关注较少。部分原因是关于哺乳期乙醇暴露（LEE）对儿童影响的研究较少；尽管如此，已有研究表明，通过母乳接触乙醇的婴儿经常出现体重减轻、语言智商分数低和睡眠模式改变的情况。由于美国约36%的母乳喂养母亲饮酒，因此在这一领域持续开展研究至关重要。我们的研究采用了一种新型的小鼠LEE模型，在该模型中，后代从出生后第6天（P6）到第20天（P20）通过哺乳接触乙醇，这一时期与人类婴儿期相关。与对照组相比，LEE小鼠在P20和P30时体重减轻，新皮层长度缩短。两个年龄段的雄性小鼠脑重也减轻，雌性小鼠在P20时脑重减轻，但到P30时恢复到对照水平。我们研究了新皮层特征，发现与对照组相比，LEE雄性小鼠额叶皮层厚度减小。对内侧前额叶皮层前边缘亚区树突棘的分析显示，LEE小鼠的密度有降低趋势。行为测试结果表明，LEE小鼠表现出更高的冒险行为、异常的应激调节和多动增加。总之，我们的数据描述了LEE可能导致的不良大脑和行为发育结果。因此，在有更多研究能够更好地指导婴儿早期安全母亲行为建议之前，应建议女性在母乳喂养期间避免饮酒。
