Brain growth deficits following a single day of alcohol exposure in the neonatal rat

Abstract Alcohol (7.5 g/kg) was administered to neonatal rats in a single day via artificial rearing procedures, being given in four consecutive feedings spaced two hours apart on either postnatal day 4, 5, or 6. These single days of alcohol exposure resulted in high peak blood alcohol concentrations (mean peak BACs of 380, 439 and 460 mg/dl, respectively) and significantly restricted brain weight when measured on postnatal day 10. The cerebellum was affected more than total brain, forebrain or brain stem. Additionally, growth of the cerebellum was more stunted by alcohol exposure on either day 4 or 5 than when the alcohol exposure occurred on day 6. Small but significant delays in body growth occurred 1–2 days after the alcohol exposure for each group. The interference with brain growth following high BACs for a short period of time has important clinical and experimental implications related to binge drinking and the mechanisms underlying alcohol-induced effects on the developing brain.