Prenatal alcohol exposure is a well-known cause of preventable birth defects, resulting in a decrease in cerebrovascular blood flow, which may cause major neurodevelopmental and morphological alterations in the developing fetus. In this study, we assess the acute and persistent effects of alcohol exposure on fetal brain vasculature in utero. We also analyzed the effects of different alcohol dosages (1.5 g/kg, 3.0 g/kg, and 4.5 g/kg) on fetal brain vasculature. To assess the effects of persistent alcohol exposure, we administered the same dose of alcohol at multiple gestational days (GD12.5, 13.5, and 14.5). To assess the acute effects, we administered the alcohol only at GD14.5. We utilize correlation mapping optical coherence angiography to image changes in fetal brain vasculature caused by exposure to ethanol at each dosage. Results show significant vasoconstriction of the main blood vessel imaged, which is located at the terminal anterior and middle cerebral arteries, irrigating the dorsolateral surface of the embryonic brain, for all three administered dosages. The difference in the primary blood vessel diameter before and after the final ethanol exposure at GD14.5 shows that the greater the dose, the smaller the change in blood vessel diameter. This contrasts with the acute dosing effects, which show a greater change in the primary blood vessel diameter when administering the highest single ethanol dosage. Overall, the multiple dosing and acute effects of alcohol consumption demonstrated a decrease in blood flow in the fetal brain.
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