# Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $368,940

## Abstract

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an umbrella term used to describe the range of
outcomes that result from prenatal exposure to alcohol (ethanol). Behavioral effects may include
hyperactivity, attention deficit, impaired sensory processing, and learning and memory
problems. People with FASD may also have difficulties using information flexibly which likely
underlies deficits in cognition. Such problems are thought to be seated in frontal cortices,
including prefrontal cortex. Devising new strategies for amelioration of these problems has great
clinical relevance. While deficits in learning and memory have been extensively demonstrated in
rodent models of FASD, we will examine cognitive flexibility. We propose an innovative
experimental design in which rats exposed to a moderate dose of ethanol prenatally are given
choline AND behavioral training during adolescence. Either alone can improve learning and
memory in normal animals, as well as in models of FASD. We have chosen the attentional set
shifting and reversal learning task because it captures deficits reported in clinical observation of
individuals with FASD and also because it can be used repeatedly in the same rats without
observable diminution of responding or changes in task strategy. We propose a multidisciplinary
set of experiments that will assess behavior, brain function and structure, as well as expression
of neurometabolites. These experiments will determine whether modulating plasticity during
frontal cortex development can improve both memory and problem solving in the same animals
and how the effects manifest in brain connectivity and structure.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9883689
- **Project number:** 5R01AA024980-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Sandra M Mooney
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $368,940
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-02-01 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9883689

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9883689, Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (5R01AA024980-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9883689. Licensed CC0.

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