Influence of prenatal cannabinoid exposure on early development and beyond.

Public perception surrounding whether cannabis use is harmful during pregnancy often diverges greatly from the recommendations of doctors and healthcare providers. In contrast to the medical guidance of abstinence before, during, and after pregnancy, many women of reproductive age believe cannabis use during pregnancy is associated with little potential harm. Legalization and social cues support public perceptions that cannabis use during pregnancy is safe.

The ameliorative effects of choline on ethanol-induced cell death in the neural tube of susceptible BXD strains of mice.

Introduction: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are the leading preventable cause of intellectual disability, providing the impetus for evaluating various potential treatments to ameliorate ethanol's teratogenic effects, particularly in the nervous system. One treatment is the dietary supplement choline which has been shown to mitigate at least some of ethanol's teratogenic effects. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of genetics on choline's efficacy in ameliorating cell death in the developing neural tube.

Proceedings of the 2022 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders study group.

The 2022 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) meeting was held in coordination with the 45th annual Research Society on Alcoholism conference on June 25th, 2022. The theme of the meeting was "Enhancing the Relevance of Research for the Community." The program began with a moderated panel discussion on the value of community-engaged research, which included two self-advocates and a clinical and pre-clinical researcher.

Effects of genetics and sex on adolescent behaviors following neonatal ethanol exposure in BXD recombinant inbred strains.

Introduction: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are the leading preventable neurodevelopmental disorders and two hallmark symptoms of FASD are abnormal behavior, and cognitive and learning deficits. The severity of alcohol's teratogenic effects on the developing brain is influenced by genetics and sex. We previously identified recombinant inbred BXD mouse strains that show differential vulnerability to ethanol-induced cell death in the developing hippocampus, a brain region important in learning and memory.

Effects of Genetics and Sex on Acute Gene Expression Changes in the Hippocampus Following Neonatal Ethanol Exposure in BXD Recombinant Inbred Mouse Strains.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders. Genetics have been shown to have a role in the severity of alcohol's teratogenic effects on the developing brain. We previously identified recombinant inbred BXD mouse strains that show high (HCD) or low cell death (LCD) in the hippocampus following ethanol exposure.

Proceedings of the 2021 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group.

The 2021 meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) was titled "Role of Parental Experiences in Offspring Outcomes". The theme was reflected in the presentations of two keynote speakers: Edward Levin, Ph.D.

Proceedings of the 2019 annual meeting of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group.

The 2019 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Study Group (FASDSG) meeting was titled "Computational Approaches to Studying Behavioral Control and Individual Change". The theme was reflected in the presentations of two keynote speakers: A. David Redish, Ph.

Genetic Influences on the Amount of Cell Death in the Neural Tube of BXD Mice Exposed to Acute Ethanol at Midgestation.

Background: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have a strong genetic component although the genes that underlie this are only beginning to be elucidated. In the present study, one of the most common phenotypes of FASD, cell death within the early developing neural tube, was examined across a genetic reference population in a reverse genetics paradigm with the goal of identifying genetic loci that could influence ethanol (EtOH)-induced apoptosis in the early developing neural tube.

Methods: BXD recombinant inbred mice as well as the parental strains were used to evaluate genetic differences in EtOH-induced cell death after exposure on embryonic day 9.

Ethanol's Effect on Expression in the Hippocampus of Mice.

Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a well-studied molecule, present in every cell membrane in the body, best known for its roles as a mitochondrial electron transporter and a potent membrane anti-oxidant. Much of the previous work was done in yeast and more recent work has suggested that CoQ may have additional roles prompting calls for a re-assessment of its role using systems in mammals. Here we investigated the putative role of Coenzyme Q in ethanol-induced effects using BXD RI mice.

The effect of alcohol on the differential expression of cluster of differentiation 14 gene, associated pathways, and genetic network.

Alcohol consumption affects human health in part by compromising the immune system. In this study, we examined the expression of the Cd14 (cluster of differentiation 14) gene, which is involved in the immune system through a proinflammatory cascade. Expression was evaluated in BXD mice treated with saline or acute 1.

Analyses of differentially expressed genes after exposure to acute stress, acute ethanol, or a combination of both in mice.

Alcohol abuse is a complex disorder, which is confounded by other factors, including stress. In the present study, we examined gene expression in the hippocampus of BXD recombinant inbred mice after exposure to ethanol (NOE), stress (RSS), and the combination of both (RSE). Mice were given an intraperitoneal (i.

A novel heat shock protein alpha 8 (Hspa8) molecular network mediating responses to stress- and ethanol-related behaviors.

Genetic differences mediate individual differences in susceptibility and responses to stress and ethanol, although, the specific molecular pathways that control these responses are not fully understood. Heat shock protein alpha 8 (Hspa8) is a molecular chaperone and member of the heat shock protein family that plays an integral role in the stress response and that has been implicated as an ethanol-responsive gene. Therefore, we assessed its role in mediating responses to stress and ethanol across varying genetic backgrounds.

Identification of candidate genes that underlie the QTL on chromosome 1 that mediates genetic differences in stress-ethanol interactions.

Alcoholism, stress, and anxiety are strongly interacting heritable, polygenetic traits. In a previous study, we identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on murine chromosome (Chr) 1 between 23.0 and 31.

Molecular pathways underpinning ethanol-induced neurodegeneration.

While genetics impacts the type and severity of damage following developmental ethanol exposure, little is currently known about the molecular pathways that mediate these effects. Traditionally, research in this area has used a candidate gene approach and evaluated effects on a gene-by-gene basis. Recent studies, however, have begun to use unbiased approaches and genetic reference populations to evaluate the roles of genotype and epigenetic modifications in phenotypic changes following developmental ethanol exposure, similar to studies that evaluated numerous alcohol-related phenotypes in adults.

Expression, covariation, and genetic regulation of miRNA Biogenesis genes in brain supports their role in addiction, psychiatric disorders, and disease.

The role of miRNA and miRNA biogenesis genes in the adult brain is just beginning to be explored. In this study we have performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression, genetic regulation, and co-expression of major components of the miRNA biogenesis pathway using human and mouse data sets and resources available on the GeneNetwork web site (genenetwork.org).

Use of the expanded panel of BXD mice narrow QTL regions in ethanol-induced locomotor activation and motor incoordination.

Background: Alcohol-related responses are under strong genetic regulation. A wealth of alcohol-related data from recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains enables genetic correlation and mapping of these traits. Previous studies using RI strains have identified numerous chromosomal locations that underlie differential alcohol sensitivity, although the regions identified are typically large.

Kainic acid-induced neuronal degeneration in hippocampal pyramidal neurons is driven by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors: analysis of FVB/N↔C57BL/6 chimeras.

The excitotoxic effects of kainic acid (KA) in the mouse hippocampus is strain dependent. Following KA administration, the large majority of hippocampal pyramidal cells die in the FVB/N (FVB) mouse, while the pyramidal cells of the C57BL/6 (B6) strain are largely spared. We generated aggregation chimeras between the sensitive FVB and the resistant B6 strains to investigate whether intrinsic or extrinsic features of a neuron confer cell vulnerability or resistance to KA.

Heterozygous deletion of NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor alters ethanol-related behaviors and regional expression of NR2 subunits in the brain.

NMDA receptors have been hypothesized to play a role in various aspects of ethanol-related phenotypes, notably in ethanol withdrawal. However, the role of each of the specific subunits remains unclear. To address this issue, mice that are heterozygous for the NR1 deletion, and thus have a reduction in functional NMDA receptors, were examined for ethanol consumption and acute ethanol withdrawal.

Screening for ENU-induced mutations in mice that result in aberrant ethanol-related phenotypes.

One way to investigate the genetic underpinnings of ethanol-related phenotypes is to create random mutations and screen the mutagenized mice for their behavioral phenotypes. The purposes of this article are to assess the efficacy of a novel high throughput screen to detect known strain differences and to provide evidence of the ability of this screen to detect phenodeviants, as illustrated by two new lines of mutant mice. All mice were tested for the following phenotypes after a dose of 2.

Wild-type cells rescue genotypically Math1-null hair cells in the inner ears of chimeric mice.

The transcription factor Math1 has been shown to be critical in the formation of hair cells (HCs) in the inner ear. However, the influence of environmental factors in HC specification suggests that cell extrinsic factors are also crucial to their development. To test whether extrinsic factors impact development of Math1-null (Math1(beta-Gal/beta-Gal)) HCs, we examined neonatal (postnatal ages P0-P4.

Genetic and structural analysis of the basolateral amygdala complex in BXD recombinant inbred mice.

The amygdala integrates and coordinates emotional and autonomic responses. The genetics that underlie variation in amygdala structure may be coupled to variation in levels of aggression, fear, anxiety, and affiliated behaviors. We systematically quantified the volume and cell populations of the basolateral amygdala complex (BLAc) across 35 BXD recombinant inbred (RI) lines, the parental strains--C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2)--and F1 hybrids (n cases=199, bilateral analysis).

Progress in using mouse inbred strains, consomics, and mutants to identify genes related to stress, anxiety, and alcohol phenotypes.

This article summarizes the proceedings of a symposium that took place at the 2005 meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. The organizers/chairs were Daniel Goldowitz and Katheen A. Grant.