# Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Synaptic Plasticity and Auditory Processing

> **NIH NIH P20** · CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $38,044

## 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 also frequently 
exhibit atypical auditory behaviors. Developmental alcohol exposure has been shown to cause impairments in 
neuronal plasticity including reduction in dendritic spines and alterations in AMPA receptor (AMPAR) function. 
However, currently there is a gap in understanding how the effects of alcohol on AMPARs alters synaptic 
plasticity in the intact brain and how changes in AMPAR trafficking can result in alterations in auditory processing. 
Here, we will use a prenatal exposure mouse model of FASD to investigate the mechanism of auditory 
processing deficits observed in FASD. We will examine auditory processing in mice prenatally exposed to 
alcohol, perform in vivo imaging in the primary auditory cortex to track AMPARs and dendritic spines over days, 
and perform electrophysiological recordings to study AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission. The goal of the 
proposal is to provide a mechanistic basis for the altered auditory processing observed in FASD and examine 
the therapeutic potential of the BDNF mimetic 7,8-Dihydroxy flavone to preserve or restore central auditory 
processing following fetal alcohol exposure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11060762
- **Project number:** 5P20GM139762-04
- **Recipient organization:** CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Padmashri Ragunathan
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $38,044
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-03-05 → 2024-05-17

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11060762

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11060762, Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Synaptic Plasticity and Auditory Processing (5P20GM139762-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11060762. Licensed CC0.

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