HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Abate, P. Articles by Molina, J. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Abate, P. Articles by Molina, J. C.

---

MINIREVIEW

Fetal Learning About Ethanol and Later Ethanol Responsiveness: Evidence Against "Safe" Amounts of Prenatal Exposure

Paula Abate^*,,1, Mariana Pueta^*,,, Norman E. Spear and Juan C. Molina^*,,

^* Instituto de Investigación Médica Mercedes y Martín Ferreyra C.P. 5016, Córdoba, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Córdoba, Argentina; CEBICEM, Facultad de Ciencia, Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, C.P. 5000, Córdoba, Argentina; and Department of Psychology, Center for Developmental Psychobiology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902

To whom requests for reprints should be addressed at ¹ Instituto Ferreyra, Friuli 2434, CP 5016, Córdoba, Argentina. E-mail: pabate{at}immf.uncor.edu

Near-term fetuses of different mammalian species, including humans, exhibit functional sensory and learning capabilities. The neurobiological literature indicates that the unborn organism processes sensory stimuli present in the amniotic fluid, retains this information for considerable amounts of time, and is also capable of associating such stimuli with biologically relevant events. This research has stimulated studies aimed at the analysis of fetal and neonatal learning about ethanol, a topic that constitutes the core of the present review. Ethanol has characteristic sensory (olfactory, taste, and trigeminal) attributes and can exert pharmacologic reinforcing effects. The studies under examination support the hypothesis that low to moderate levels of maternal ethanol intoxication during late pregnancy set the opportunity for fetal learning about ethanol. These levels of prenatal ethanol exposure do not generate evident morphologic or neurobehavioral alterations in the offspring, but they exert a significant impact upon later ethanol-seeking and intake behaviors. Supported by preclinical and clinical findings, this review contributes to strengthening the case for the ability of prenatal ethanol exposure to have effects on the postnatal organism.

Key Words: ethanol • fetal learning • associative conditioning