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EFFECTS OF GESTATIONAL ETHANOL INHALATION ON SENSORY FUNCTION IN RATS.
Citation:
HERR, D. W., D. F. LYKE, L. DEGN, T. E. BEASLEY, P. A. EVANSKY, S. A. MARTIN, S. Karafas, W. K. BOYES, AND P. J. BUSHNELL. EFFECTS OF GESTATIONAL ETHANOL INHALATION ON SENSORY FUNCTION IN RATS. Presented at Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 11 - 15, 2012.
Impact/Purpose:
The results show that gestational exposure to ethanol exposure did not result in large decrements in peripheral nerve, somatosensory, auditory, or visual function when the offspring were assessed as adults.
Description:
Ethanol-blended gasoline entered the market in response to demand for domestic renewable energy sources, which may result in exposure to ethanol vapors in combination with other volatile gasoline constituents. To begin an assessment ofthe risks of exposure to this mixture, we evaluated effects on the developing nervous system from exposure to ethanol vapors before examining gasoline mixtures. Because sensory dysfunction is reported after developmental exposure to ethanol, we assessed neurophysiological measures of sensory functions as a component ofa larger project involving developmental toxicity. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were exposed to 0, 5K, 10K, or 21K ppm ethanol vapors for 6 h/day over GD9 -GD20. Sensory evaluations ofmale offspring began around PND106. Peripheral nerve function (compound action potentials, NCV), somatosensory (cortical and cerebellar evoked potentials), auditory (brainstem auditory evoked responses), and visual evoked responses were assessed. Visual function assessment included pattern elicited visual evoked potentials (VEP), YEP contrast sensitivity, and electroretinograms recorded from dark-adapted (scotopic) and light-adapted (photopic) flashes, and UV and green flicker. No consistent dose-related changes were observed for any ofthe physiological measures, All physiological responses had alterations related to stimulation intensity, and provided an estimate ofdetectable levels ofchange. The results show that gestational exposure to ethanol exposure did not result in large decrements in peripheral nerve, somatosensory, auditory, or visual function when the offspring were assessed as adults. Follow-up studies are planned to evaluate the effects ofexposure to evaporative condensates from gasoline and ethanol-blended gasoline. This is an abstract ofa proposed presentation and does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.