Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Alcohol exposure during development alters hypothalamic neurotransmitter concentrations

  • Published:
Journal of Neural Transmission Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

The effect of exposure to alcohol during a period roughly equivalent to the human third trimester on neurotransmitter content in the rat hypothalamus was examined. The alcohol exposure was accomplished via an artificial rearing procedure. The alcohol group was exposed to 5 g/kg/day of ethanol from postnatal day (PD) 4 to 10. There was an artificially reared control group not exposed to alcohol and a normally reared control group. Noradrenaline, dopamine, homovanillic acid (HVA), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), serotonin, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) concentrations were measured using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection in juvenile and adult rats. There were no effects in juvenile rats. In adult rats, alcohol exposure from PD 4 to 10 increased hypothalamic content of noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and 5-HIAA. While adult females had greater amounts of hypothalamic serotonin and 5-HIAA than adult males, there were no interactions of sex with alcohol exposure. These results suggest that hypothalamic function is seriously disrupted by alcohol exposure during development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abel EL, Riley EP (1986) Studies of prenatal alcohol exposure: methodological considerations. In: West JR (ed) Alcohol and brain development. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 105–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Adell A, Garcia-Marquez C, Armario A, Guelpi E (1988) Chronic stress increases serotonin and noradrenaline in rat brain and sensitizes their responses to a further actue stress. J Neurochem 50: 1678–1681

    Google Scholar 

  • Barron S, Tieman SB, Riley EP (1988) Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in male rats. Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 12: 59–64

    Google Scholar 

  • Bayer SA, Altman J, Russo RJ, Zhang X (1993) Timetables of neurogenesis in the human brain based on experimentally determined patterns in the rat. Neurotoxicology 14: 83–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi S, Kellogg CK (1992) Norepinephrine utilization in the hypothalamus of the male rat during adolescent development. Dev Neurosci 14: 369–376

    Google Scholar 

  • Clemens JA, Shaar CJ, Smalstig EB (1980) Dopamine, PIF and other regulators of prolactin secretion. Feb Proc 39: 2907–2911

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper JD, Rudeen PK (1988) Alteration in regional catecholamine content and turnover in the male rat brain in response to in utero ethanol exposure. Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 12: 282–285

    Google Scholar 

  • Day NL, Richardson G, Robles N, Sambamoorthi U, Taylor P, Scher M, Stoffer D, Jasperse MS, Cornelius M (1990) Effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on growth and morphology of offspring at 8 months of age. Pediatrics 85: 748–752

    Google Scholar 

  • Detering N, Collins RM, Hawkins RL, Ozand PT, Karahasan A (1981) Comparative effects of ethanol and malnutrition on the development of catecholamine neurons: a long-lasting effect in the hypothalamus. J Neurochem 36: 2094–2096

    Google Scholar 

  • Detering N, Collins RM, Hawkins RL, Ozand PT, Karahasan A (1980a) Comparative effects of ethanol and malnutrition on the development of catecholamine neurons: changes in neurotransmitter levels. J Neurochem 34: 1587–1593

    Google Scholar 

  • Detering N, Collins RM, Hawkins RL, Ozand PT, Karahasan A (1980b) Comparative effects of ethanol and malnutrition on the development of catecholamine neurons: changes in norepinephrine turnover. J Neurochem 34: 1788–1791

    Google Scholar 

  • Diaz-Granados JL, Greene PL, Amsel A (1993) Mitigating effects of combined prenatal and postnatal exposure to ethanol on learned persistence in the weanling rat: a replication under high-peak conditions. Behav Neurosci 107: 1059–1066

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobbing J (1974) The later development of the brain and its vulnerability. In: Davis JA, Dobbing J (eds) Scientific foundation of pediatrics. William Heinemann Medical Books, London, pp 744–759

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobbing J, Sands J (1979) Comparative aspects of the brain growth spurt. Early Human Dev 3: 79–83

    Google Scholar 

  • Druse MJ (1992) Effects of in utero ethanol exposure on the development of neurotransmitter systems. In: Miller MW (ed) Development of the central nervous system. Effects of alcohol and opiates. Wiley-Liss, New York, pp 139–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Druse MJ, Tajuddin N, Kuo AP, Connerty M (1990) Effects of in utero ethanol exposure on the developing dopaminergic system in rats. J Neurosci Res 27: 233–240

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudek BC, Abbott ME (1984) A biometrical genetic analysis of ethanol response in selectively bred long-sleep and short-sleep mice. Behav Genet 14: 1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Esquifino AI, Sanchis R, Guerri C (1986) Effect of prenatal alcohol exposure on sexual maturation of female rat offspring. Neuroendocrinology 44: 483–487

    Google Scholar 

  • Geller LM, Geller EH (1966) A simple technique for the permanent marking of newborn albino rats. Physiol Rep 18: 29–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Heffner TG, Hartman JA, Sciden LS (1980) A rapid method for regional dissection of the rat brain. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 13: 453–456

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez L, Parado M, Baptista T, Schwartz D, West HL, Mark GP, Hoebel BG (1991) Hypothalamic serotonin in treatments of feeding disorders and depression as studied by brain microdialysis. J Clin Psychiatry 52 [Suppl]: 32–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Hwang BH (1986) Increased synaptic contacts of catecholaminergic boutons in the cerebral cortex and paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus of rats after prenatal and perinatal ethanol exposure. Exp Neurol 92: 762–768

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly SJ, Bonthius DJ, West JR (1987a) Developmental changes in alcohol pharmacokinetics in rats. Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 11: 281–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly SJ, Mahoney JC, Randich A, West JR (1991) Indices of stress in rats: effects of sex, perinatal alcohol and artificial rearing. Physiol Behav 49: 751–756

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelly SJ, Pierce DR, West JR (1987b) Microencephaly and hyperactivity in adult rats can be induced by neonatal exposure to high blood alcohol concentrations. Exp Neurol 96: 580–593

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee S, Imaki T, Vale W, Rivier C (1990) Effect of prenatal exposure to ethanol on the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis of the offspring: importance of the time of exposure to ethanol and possible modulating mechanisms. Mol Cell Neurosci 1: 168–177

    Google Scholar 

  • Lowry OH, Rosebrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ (1951) Protein measurement with the folin Phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193: 265–275

    Google Scholar 

  • McGivern RF, Rilley EP (1993) Influence of perinatal alcohol exposure on sexual differentiation. In: Alcohol and the endocrin system. NIAA Monograph, Series 23

  • Melcer T, Jones C, Carlos R, Riley EP (1993) Recognition of food in weanling rats exposed to alcohol prenatally. Alcohol 10: 225–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Middaugh LD, Boggan WO (1991) Postnatal growth deficits in prenatal ethanol-exposed mice: characteristics and critical periods. Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 15: 919–926

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, BK, Brightwell WS, Setzer JV, O'Donohue TL (1982) Prenatal interactions between ethanol and the industrial solvent 2-ethoxyethanol in rats: neurochemical effects in the offspring. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 4: 395–401

    Google Scholar 

  • Park DH, Snyder DW, Joh TH (1986) Postnatal developmental changes of tryptophan hydroxylase activity in serotonergic cell bodies and terminals of rat brain. Brain Res 378: 183–185

    Google Scholar 

  • Rathbun W, Druse MJ (1985) Dopamine, serotonin and acid metabolites in brain regions from developing offspring in ethanol treated rats. J Neurochem 44: 57–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley EP, Barron S, Driscoll CD, Chen JS (1984) Taste aversion learning in preweanling rats exposed to alcohol prenatally. Teratology 29: 325–331

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosett HL, Weiner L, Lee A, Zuckerman B, Dooling E, Oppenheimer E (1983 Patterns of alcohol consumption and fetal development. Obstetr Gynecol 61: 539–546

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudeen PK, Kappel CA, Lear K (1986) Postnatal or in utero ethanol exposure reduction of volume of the sexually dimorphic nucleus of the preoptic area in male rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 18: 247–252

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudeen PK, Weinberg J (1993) Prenatal ethanol exposure: changes in regional brain catecholamine content following stress. J Neurochem 61: 1907–1915

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson HH (1986) Microcephaly and fetal alcohol syndrome: human and animal studies. In: West JR (ed) Alcohol and brain development. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 167–183

    Google Scholar 

  • Samson HH, Diaz J (1982) Effects of neonatal ethanol exposure on brain development in rodents. In: Abel EL (ed) Fetal alcohol syndrome, vol 3. Animal studies. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, pp 131–150

    Google Scholar 

  • Seegal RF, Brosch KO, Bush B (1986) High-performance liquid chromatography of biogenic amines and metabolites in brain, cerebrospinal fluid, urine and plasma. J Chromatogr 377: 131–144

    Google Scholar 

  • Vingan RD, Dow-Edwards DL, Rilley EP (1986) Cerebral metabolic alterations in rats following prenatal alcohol exposure: a deoxyglucose study. Alcoholism Clin Exp Res 10: 22–26

    Google Scholar 

  • War GR, West JR (1992) Effects of ethanol during development on neuronal survival and plasticity. In: Miller MW (ed) Development of the central nervous system. Effects of alcohol and opiates. Wiley-Liss, New York, pp 109–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinberg J, Zimmerberg B, Sonderegger TB (1992) Sex differences in effects of perinatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs. In: Sonderegger TB (ed) Perinatal substance abuse: research findings and clinical implications. John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, pp 51–89

    Google Scholar 

  • West JR (1987) Fetal alcohol-induced brain damage and the problem of determining temporal vulnerability: a review. Alcohol Drug Res 7: 423–441

    Google Scholar 

  • West JR, Hamre KM (1985) Effects of alcohol exposure during different periods of development: changes in hippocampal mossy fibers. Dev Brain Res 17: 280–284

    Google Scholar 

  • West JR, Hamre KM, Pierce DR (1984) Delay in brain growth induced by alcohol in artificially reared rat pups. Alcohol 1: 83–95

    Google Scholar 

  • Wigal T, Amsel A (1990) Behavioral and neuroanatomical effects of prenatal, postnatal, or combined exposure to ethanol in weanling rats. Behav Neurosci 104: 116–126

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. S. J. Kelly

    Present address: Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

Authors and Affiliations

    Authors
    1. S. J. Kelly
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    Rights and permissions

    Reprints and permissions

    About this article

    Cite this article

    Kelly, S.J. Alcohol exposure during development alters hypothalamic neurotransmitter concentrations. J. Neural Transmission 103, 55–67 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01292616

    Download citation

    • Received:

    • Accepted:

    • Issue Date:

    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01292616

    Keywords

    Search

    Navigation