Padmashri Ragunathan, PhD, Lab

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can disrupt the development of the fetal brain and result in a wide range of cognitive and neurobehavioral outcomes, collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Individuals with FASD have sensory and multisensory deficits. Animal models of developmental alcohol exposure play a key role in understanding the mechanisms of sensory processing deficits. Research in the lab focuses on the effects of PAE on auditory and somatosensory processing in mouse models of FASD. We use a model of maternal voluntary alcohol consumption throughout gestation and the ‘drinking in the dark’ model in mice to investigate the effects of PAE.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on auditory processing

Individuals with FASD have impaired auditory processing and frequently exhibit atypical auditory behaviors. Current research in the lab focuses on examining alcohol-induced alterations in synaptic structure and function, auditory processing and behavior in prenatal exposure models of FASD. The goal of this research is to identify the auditory structures responsible for auditory processing impairments in mice prenatally exposed to alcohol and characterize the cellular correlates that contribute to the changes in auditory system neuronal plasticity. The long-term goal of our research is to model the effects of PAE in mice to provide insights into neural mechanisms that mediate auditory processing deficits and identify translation-relevant neural correlates.

Effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on somatosensory processing and auditory-somatosensory processing

Individuals with FASD have altered tactile processing and differences in multisensory integration of auditory and tactile information. Current research in the lab focuses on examining the effects of PAE on both unisensory (somatosensory) and multisensory (auditory-somatosensory) processing. The study aims to identify the auditory structures involved in the auditory-somatosensory processing deficits in a mouse model of FASD.

Experimental Approaches Used in the Lab:

- Preparation of brain slices

- Slice electrophysiology

- Viral injections and cranial window implantation

- Two-photon microscopy for slice imaging and in vivo imaging

- Immunohistochemistry

- Confocal microscopy

- Auditory measurements including auditory brainstem response (ABR) and distortion product    otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE)

- Mouse behaviors