FASD affects 2-5% of school age children and, while many of the teratogenic effects of ethanol have been described, a mechanism through which alcohol causes these effects remains to be found. This study tested the hypothesis that developmental ethanol exposure alters the hippocampal epigenome in juvenile rats in a sex-specific manner. A three trimester model of ethanol exposure was used in which pups were exposed to ethanol throughout gestation and from postnatal days (PD) 2 to 10 (ET group). Control groups included rats exposed to the administration procedures (IC group) and non-treated rats (NC group). The activity of two enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications, histone deacetylase (HDAC) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was measured in hippocampal tissue of 21 day old rats. Alcohol exposure during development led to an increase in DNMT, but not HDAC, activity in both sexes. The data are consistent with the possibility that epigenetic modifications may be a mechanism through which ethanol can alter the developing brain.
","abstract_html":"<p>FASD affects 2-5% of school age children and, while many of the teratogenic effects of ethanol have been described, a mechanism through which alcohol causes these effects remains to be found. This study tested the hypothesis that developmental ethanol exposure alters the hippocampal epigenome in juvenile rats in a sex-specific manner. A three trimester model of ethanol exposure was used in which pups were exposed to ethanol throughout gestation and from postnatal days (PD) 2 to 10 (ET group). Control groups included rats exposed to the administration procedures (IC group) and non-treated rats (NC group). The activity of two enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications, histone deacetylase (HDAC) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was measured in hippocampal tissue of 21 day old rats. Alcohol exposure during development led to an increase in DNMT, but not HDAC, activity in both sexes. The data are consistent with the possibility that epigenetic modifications may be a mechanism through which ethanol can alter the developing brain.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perkins, Amy Elizabeth"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.A.","degree_level":"Campus Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sandra J Kelly"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2011,"date_issued":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2011-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:56Z","subjects":["Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Development","Epigenetics","Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders"],"languages":[],"rights":["© 2011, Amy Elizabeth Perkins"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1142","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sandra J Kelly"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Perkins, Amy Elizabeth"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Campus Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.A."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Development","Epigenetics","Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["© 2011, Amy Elizabeth Perkins"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1142"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["FASD affects 2-5% of school age children and, while many of the teratogenic effects of ethanol have been described, a mechanism through which alcohol causes these effects remains to be found. This study tested the hypothesis that developmental ethanol exposure alters the hippocampal epigenome in juvenile rats in a sex-specific manner. A three trimester model of ethanol exposure was used in which pups were exposed to ethanol throughout gestation and from postnatal days (PD) 2 to 10 (ET group). Control groups included rats exposed to the administration procedures (IC group) and non-treated rats (NC group). The activity of two enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications, histone deacetylase (HDAC) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was measured in hippocampal tissue of 21 day old rats. Alcohol exposure during development led to an increase in DNMT, but not HDAC, activity in both sexes. The data are consistent with the possibility that epigenetic modifications may be a mechanism through which ethanol can alter the developing brain.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Alterations in the Hippocampal Epigenome as a Result of Alcohol Exposure During the Perinatal Period of Development in Rats"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sandra J Kelly"],"dc:creator":["Perkins, Amy Elizabeth"],"dc:description.abstract":["FASD affects 2-5% of school age children and, while many of the teratogenic effects of ethanol have been described, a mechanism through which alcohol causes these effects remains to be found. This study tested the hypothesis that developmental ethanol exposure alters the hippocampal epigenome in juvenile rats in a sex-specific manner. A three trimester model of ethanol exposure was used in which pups were exposed to ethanol throughout gestation and from postnatal days (PD) 2 to 10 (ET group). Control groups included rats exposed to the administration procedures (IC group) and non-treated rats (NC group). The activity of two enzymes involved in epigenetic modifications, histone deacetylase (HDAC) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) was measured in hippocampal tissue of 21 day old rats. Alcohol exposure during development led to an increase in DNMT, but not HDAC, activity in both sexes. The data are consistent with the possibility that epigenetic modifications may be a mechanism through which ethanol can alter the developing brain.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/1142"],"dc:rights":["© 2011, Amy Elizabeth Perkins"],"dc:subject":["Psychology","Social and Behavioral Sciences","Development","Epigenetics","Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders"],"dc:title":["Alterations in the Hippocampal Epigenome as a Result of Alcohol Exposure During the Perinatal Period of Development in Rats"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Campus Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.A."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:37:56Z"}