Influence of maternal alcohol administration on c-Fos expression in the hippocampus of infant rats.

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is known to have a detrimental effect on the development of the fetus and its central nervous system (CNS) in particular. In the present study, the dose-dependence of the effect of maternal alcohol on hippocampal c-Fos expression, which is a marker of hippocampal neuronal activity and which is induced by a variety of stimuli, was examined in infant rats. In the present study, it was shown that expression of c-Fos in the hippocampus is decreased following treatment with alcohol in a dose-dependent fashion. Based on the results of the present study and the findings of other studies, it can be suggested that suppression of c-Fos expression in the hippocampus of infant rats with maternal alcohol administration mediates the associated developmental retardation and/or anomalies.