Environmental enrichment reverts the effects of continuous or intermittent perinatal alcohol exposure. Focus on alcohol vulnerability and affectivity in the offspring

Alcohol consumption during perinatal periods is common, despite the warning of adverse effects on the foetal development. In female rats, the intermittent pattern of alcohol consumption is responsible for higher drinking levels and more profound disruption of maternal care than traditional continuous free-access paradigm, which can have persistent effects on the offspring. The environmental enrichment, a powerful form of experience-dependent plasticity that allows high cognitive, motor and sensory stimulations, is helpful for recovering from different neurological pathologies. Thus, this study aimed at exploring the effects of environmental enrichment on alcohol vulnerability and affective …