Background: Fetal ethanol (EtOH) exposure can damage the developing central nervous system and lead to cognitive and behavioral deficits, known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). EtOH exposure to mouse pups during early neonatal development was used as a model of EtOH exposure that overlaps the human third-trimester "brain growth spurt"-a model that has been widely used to study FASD in rats.
Methods: C57BL/6 male and female mice were exposed to EtOH (4 g/kg/d) on postnatal days (PD) 4 to 10 by oral intubation.