# Fetal Alcohol Effects and Choline Intervention

> **NIH NIH R37** · SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $330,942

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Prenatal alcohol exposure can disrupt normal development, leading to a host of pathologies that can include
facial dysmorphology, growth deficiencies, and central nervous system dysfunction. Compromised brain
development and reduced cognitive capacity are among some of the most devastating of alcohol's adverse
effects. Although alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders are completely preventable, 2-5% of live
births in the U.S. are affected by prenatal alcohol exposure, with even higher rates among some populations.
Thus, it is critical that we identify effective treatments and interventions for reducing the adverse
consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure, including compromised neuronal plasticity in the offspring. Using
a rat model, we have found that supplementation with the nutrient choline can reduce the severity of
cognitive deficits associated with developmental alcohol exposure. These benefits are observed even when
choline is administered postnatally and after alcohol exposure has ceased. Specifically, we have found that
choline supplementation up to postnatal day (PD) 30 reduces the severity of alcohol-induced behavioral
deficits on tasks that depend on the functional integrity of the hippocampus. This proposal will examine
whether postnatal choline supplementation mitigates alcohol's effects on hippocampal structural and
functional plasticity, including adult neurogenesis and long-term potentiation, and if choline enhances other
experience-dependent plasticity. We will further investigate whether changes in functional plasticity are
related to choline-induced changes in long-lasting cholinergic functioning. In addition, recent data indicate
that toddlers and children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are not consuming adequate
amounts of choline and that dietary choline intake correlates with some behavioral outcomes. Thus, we will
also determine the effects of postnatal choline deficiency on behavioral development and hippocampal
plasticity. Elucidation of choline's effects on brain function and plasticity is critical as choline intervention is
already being translated to clinical populations. These studies will not only determine the neural substrates of
choline's actions, but also determine if combination therapies are more effective in improving behavioral
outcome. Moreover, these studies will help determine if dietary intake among children with FASD influences
cognitive functioning. Thus, these studies have important implications for the treatment of FASD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10375429
- **Project number:** 5R37AA012446-18
- **Recipient organization:** SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** JENNIFER D THOMAS
- **Activity code:** R37 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $330,942
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-06-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10375429

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10375429, Fetal Alcohol Effects and Choline Intervention (5R37AA012446-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10375429. Licensed CC0.

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