Effects of Ethanol Exposure during Lactation on Ultrasonic Vocalizations of Rat Pups upon Their Isolation: Increase in Pup Distress Calls

Recording ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) is a highly sensitive tool to study the dam–pup social relationships, and USV recordings have been used to study the effects of ethanol on pups. Gestational effects of ethanol on the emission of USVs in rat pups have been studied in our previous research. In the present study, the effects of ethanol given to dams during lactation on the acoustic parameters of USVs emitted by isolated pups were examined. Ethanol was administered to dams from postnatal days (PNDs) 5–21. From PNDs 11–21, the high- and low-ethanol-treated dams were exposed to ethanol-containing water (v/v) at concentrations of 30% and 15%, respectively. Tap water without ethanol (0%) was provided to the control dams. The pups in all three ethanol-treated groups were separated from the dam and littermates on PNDs 4, 8, 12, and 16, and USVs produced by the pups were recorded for 5 min. It was found that elevated distress USVs with longer duration and higher percentage of frequency modulations were displayed by the pups from the high-ethanol dams. Alterations in USVs were particularly evident in the pups with a reduced body weight at PND 12. This effect might be because high-ethanol dams showed significantly lower intake of higher ethanol-containing water, and consequently, produced lower amount of milk, as well as exhibited poor maternal care. Insufficient maternal care and malnutrition resulted in pup growth retardation and increased mortality rate in the high-ethanol group, which were not observed in the low-ethanol or control pups. Accordingly, the pups in the high-ethanol group experienced elevated negative emotionality during isolation from their dam and increased emission of USVs. Longer duration and increased frequency modulation of pup USVs are expected to be noticed by the dam and to initiate/increase proper maternal care. It is concluded that ethanol given to lactating mothers has more serious consequences on pup development than the gestational ethanol exposure, and has more harmful effects on pups.

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Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on acoustic characteristics of ultrasonic vocalizations in rat pups

NeuroToxicology ◽

10.1016/j.neuro.2018.08.006 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 ◽

pp. 29-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mohd. Ashik Shahrier ◽

Hiromi Wada

Keyword(s):

Ethanol Exposure ◽

Ultrasonic Vocalizations ◽

Prenatal Ethanol Exposure ◽

Acoustic Characteristics ◽

Rat Pups

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The Ontogeny of Ultrasonic Vocalization in Microtus Montanus

Behaviour ◽

10.1163/156853977x00306 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 60 (1-2) ◽

pp. 115-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

V.J. De Ghett

Keyword(s):

Short Duration ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Ultrasonic Vocalization ◽

Ultrasonic Vocalizations ◽

Developmental Changes ◽

Maternal Behaviour ◽

Postnatal Ontogeny ◽

Microtus Montanus ◽

Early Peak ◽

The Mean

AbstractDevelopmental changes in parameters of ultrasound production were investigated in M. montanus young. The rate of ultrasonic vocalization reached a peak on Day 2 of postnatal ontogeny and declined to zero on Day 15. A similar developmental pattern has been found in several other rodent species. However, the comparatively early peak rate is indicative of a degree of ontogenic precociousness. Other developmental changes, both behavioural and morphological, tend to confirm that M. montanus young are relatively precocious. The duration of ultrasonic vocalizations did not show a significant change across early development. The mean duration for each vocalization sampled was 22.92 msec. The distribution of these vocalizations showed that a considerable number of vocalizations were of very short duration (<30 msec). The developmental changes in the percentage of young emitting ultrasounds began to decline following Day 8 and reached zero percent on Day 15. This decline in the percentage of young vocalizing corresponded to changes in maternal behaviour. Both the rate of ultrasonic vocalization and the percentage of young vocalizing were significantly correlated with the age of the young. Being correlated with age, these parameters of ultrasound production have the possibility of having great communicative value for the purposes of maternal care.

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A STEREOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECT OF EARLY POSTNATAL ETHANOL EXPOSURE ON NEURONAL NUMBERS IN RAT DENTATE GYRUS

Image Analysis & Stereology ◽

10.5566/ias.v19.p99-104 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 99 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Takanori Miki ◽

Simon J Harris ◽

Peter Wilce ◽

Yoshiki Takeuchi ◽

Kuldip S Bedi

Keyword(s):

Dentate Gyrus ◽

Hippocampal Formation ◽

Ethanol Exposure ◽

Learning Ability ◽

Ethanol Ingestion ◽

High Dose ◽

Postnatal Life ◽

Numerical Density ◽

Rat Pups ◽

Early Postnatal Life

Maternal ethanol ingestion during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in their offspring. Among the symptoms of FAS, damage to the central nervous system has emerged as one of the most serious problems. We have previously shown that a relatively high dose of ethanol exposure during early postnatal life can cause alterations in spatial learning ability. This ability is controlled, at least in part, by the hippocampal formation. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether exposure of rat pups to ethanol during early postnatal life had effects on the total number of the dentate gyrus neurons. Wistar rats were exposed to a relatively high daily dose of ethanol between postnatal days 10 to 15. Ethanol exposure was achieved by placing rat pups in a chamber containing ethanol vapour for 3 hours a day. The blood ethanol concentration was found to be about 430 mg/dL at the end of the exposure period. Groups of ethanol treated (ET), separation controls (SC) and mother reared controls (MRC) were anaesthetised and killed at 16-days-of-age by perfusion with phosphate-buffered 2.5% glutaraldehyde. The Cavalieri principle was used to determine the volume of subdivisions of the dentate gyrus, and the physical disector method was used to estimate the numerical densities of neurons within each subdivision. The total number of neurons was calculated by multiplying estimates of the numerical density with the volume. There was, on average, about 421,000 granule cells in all three treatment groups. In the hilus region, ET rats had about 27,000 neuronal cells. This value was significantly smaller than the average of 38,000 such neurons estimated to be present in both MRC and SC animals. It is concluded that neurons in the hilus region of the dentate gyrus may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of a high dose of ethanol exposure during PND 10-15. It is likely that this deficit was due to neuronal death induced by some mechanisms related to the ethanol exposure.

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Corrigendum to “Docosahexaenoic acid partially ameliorates deficits in social behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations caused by prenatal ethanol exposure” [Behav. Brain Res. 286 (2015) 201–211]

Behavioural Brain Research ◽

10.1016/j.bbr.2016.05.054 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 311 ◽

pp. 440

Author(s):

Kristen A. Wellmann ◽

Finney George ◽

Fares Brnouti ◽

Sandra M. Mooney

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Docosahexaenoic Acid ◽

Ethanol Exposure ◽

Ultrasonic Vocalizations ◽

Prenatal Ethanol Exposure

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Can low-level ethanol exposure during pregnancy influence maternal care? An investigation using two strains of rat across two generations

Physiology & Behavior ◽

10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.001 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 148 ◽

pp. 111-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Daniel O. Popoola ◽

Amanda P. Borrow ◽

Julia E. Sanders ◽

Michael E. Nizhnikov ◽

Nicole M. Cameron

Keyword(s):

Maternal Care ◽

Ethanol Exposure ◽

Low Level ◽

Two Generations ◽

Exposure During Pregnancy

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Early life variations in temperature exposure affect the epigenetic regulation of the paraventricular nucleus in female rat pups

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2020.1991 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 287 (1937) ◽

pp. 20201991

Author(s):

Samantha C. Lauby ◽

Patrick O. McGowan

Keyword(s):

Dna Methylation ◽

Thyroid Hormone ◽

Maternal Care ◽

Hormone Receptor ◽

Room Temperature ◽

Thyroid Hormone Receptor ◽

Female Rat ◽

Receptor Signalling ◽

Rat Pups ◽

Temperature Exposure

Early life maternal care received has a profound effect on later-life behaviour in adult offspring, and previous studies have suggested epigenetic mechanisms are involved. Changes in thyroid hormone receptor signalling may be related to differences in maternal care received and DNA methylation modifications. We investigated the effects of variations in temperature exposure (a proxy of maternal contact) and licking-like tactile stimulation on these processes in week-old female rat pups. We assessed thyroid hormone receptor signalling by measuring circulating triiodothyronine and transcript abundance of thyroid hormone receptors and the thyroid hormone-responsive genes DNA methyltransferase 3a and oxytocin in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus. DNA methylation of the oxytocin promoter was assessed in relation to changes in thyroid hormone receptor binding. Repeated room temperature exposure was associated with a decrease in thyroid hormone receptor signalling measures relative to nest temperature exposure, while acute room temperature exposure was associated with an increase. Repeated room temperature exposure also increased thyroid hormone receptor binding and DNA methylation at the oxytocin promoter. These findings suggest that repeated room temperature exposure may affect DNA methylation levels as a consequence of alterations in thyroid hormone receptor signalling.

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