Effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on consumption of alcohol and alcohol-induced sleep time in mice.

An animal model was used to examine the effect of maternal alcohol administration on behaviors in the offspring which might predispose to alcoholism. Pregnant C3H mice were administered a liquid diet containing 28% ethanol-derived calories (EDC) from Gestation-Day 8 until parturition. Control animals were either pair-fed an isocaloric 0% EDC diet or received standard lab chow and water throughout pregnancy. Offspring were tested for sleep time following a challenge dose of 3.5 or 4.5 g/kg ethanol at 25 or 110 days of age or for consumption of 10% w/v ethanol in a two-bottle choice situation. The results demonstrated that prenatal exposure to alcohol did not affect alcohol-induced sleep time at either testing age or dose and that waking blood alcohol levels were similar across groups. Voluntary alcohol consumption, however, was higher in mice exposed to alcohol in utero during the initial week of testing but intake decreased to near control levels by the third week. Whether other alcohol-related behaviors are altered by prenatal alcohol exposure remains to be examined.