Choline supplementation following third-trimester-equivalent alcohol exposure attenuates behavioral alterations in rats

Despite the known adverse consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, some pregnant women continue to drink alcohol, making it imperative to identify treatments for children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. The authors recently reported that perinatal choline supplementation can reduce some fetal alcohol effects (J. D. Thomas, M. Garrison, & T. M. O'Neill, 2004), and the present study examined whether choline supplementation is effective when administered after third-trimester-equivalent ethanol treatment. Rat pups were exposed to 6.0 g/kg/day ethanol during the neonatal brain growth spurt (Postnatal Days [PD] 4-9) and treated with choline chloride (0, 10, 50, or 100 mg/kg) from PD 10-30. Behavioral testing occurred after choline treatment had ceased. Female subjects exposed to ethanol were overactive and exhibited spatial learning deficits, effects that were attenuated with all doses of choline supplementation. These data indicate that choline supplementation can alter brain development following a developmental insult. Moreover, the data suggest that early dietary interventions may reduce the severity of some fetal alcohol effects, even when administered after birth.