# Cellular mechanisms of auditory processing deficits in a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2024 · $343,931

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Exposure to alcohol during pregnancy produces fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) that are associated
with sensory and cognitive deficits. Individuals with FASD have impaired auditory processing and frequently
exhibit atypical auditory behaviors. Developmental alcohol exposure has been shown to cause impairments in
neuronal plasticity and GABAergic interneuron dysfunction. Parvalbumin expressing GABAergic interneurons
are surrounded by perineuronal nets that regulate their development and plasticity. However, it is not known
whether altered development of perineuronal nets and maturation of parvalbumin interneurons contribute to
altered inhibition and changes in the network excitation in the auditory system in mice prenatally exposed to
alcohol resulting in impairments in auditory processing. Here, we will use a mouse model of maternal voluntary
alcohol consumption throughout gestation to examine the functionality of the central auditory pathway, identify
region specific deficits in perineuronal nets and parvalbumin interneurons in the auditory system, examine
synaptic inhibition in the primary auditory cortex and inferior colliculus, and investigate hyperexcitability in the
primary auditory cortex in vivo. The goal of the proposal is to understand the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure
sustained across gestation on auditory processing and identify auditory structures and cellular correlates that
contribute to the auditory impairments.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10881217
- **Project number:** 1R01AA031026-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Padmashri Ragunathan
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $343,931
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-05-17 → 2029-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10881217

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10881217, Cellular mechanisms of auditory processing deficits in a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (1R01AA031026-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10881217. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*