Ž . Brain Research 800 1998 48–61 Research report Therapeutic effects of complex motor training on motor performance deficits induced by neonatal binge-like alcohol exposure in rats I. Behavioral results Anna Y. Klintsova a, ) , Rita M. Cowell a , Rodney A. Swain b , Ruth M.A. Napper c , Charles R. Goodlett d , William T. Greenough a,e,f,g,h a Beckman Institute, UniÕersity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 405 N. Mathews AÕe., Urbana IL 61801, USA b Department of Psychology, UniÕersity of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, USA c Departments of Anatomy and Structural Biology, UniÕersity of Otago Medical School, Dunedin, New Zealand d Department of Psychology, Indiana UniÕersity–Purdue UniÕersity, Indianapolis, USA e Department of Psychology, UniÕersity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA f Departments of Cell and Structural Biology, UniÕersity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA g Department of Psychiatry, UniÕersity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA h Neuroscience Program, UniÕersity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA Accepted 28 April 1998 Abstract The effects of complex motor task learning on subsequent motor performance of adult rats exposed to alcohol on postnatal days 4 Ž. Ž . through 9 were studied. Male and female Long–Evans rats were assigned to one of three treatments: 1 alcohol exposure AE via y1 y1 Ž . Ž. Ž . artificial rearing to 4.5.g kg day of ethanol in a binge-like manner two consecutive feedings , 2 gastrostomy control GC fed Ž. Ž . isocaloric milk formula via artificial rearing, and 3 suckling control SC , where pups remained with lactating dams. After completion of Ž the treatments, the pups were fostered back to lactating dams, and after weaning they were raised in standard cages two–three animals . Ž. per cage until they were 6 months old. Rats from each of the postnatal treatments then spent 20 days in one of three conditions: 1 Ž .Ž. Ž .Ž . Ž. Ž .Ž inactive condition IC , 2 motor control condition MC running on a flat oval track , or 3 rehabilitation condition RC learning to . traverse a set of 10 elevated obstacles . After that all the animals were tested on three tasks, sensitive to balance and coordination deficits Ž . parallel bars, rope climbing and traversing a rotating rod . On parallel bars, both male and female rats demonstrated the same pattern of Ž . outcomes: AE-IC rats made significantly more mistakes slips and falls than IC rats from both control groups. After 20 days of training in the RC condition, there were no differences between AE and both SC and GC animals in their ability to perform on the parallel bars test. On rope climbing, female animals showed a similar pattern of abilities: AE-IC rats were the worst group; exercising did not Ž . significantly improve the AE rats’ ability to climb, whereas the RC groups SC, GC and AE all performed near asymptote and there were no significant differences among three neonatal treatment groups. There was a substantial effect of the male rats’ heavier body weight on climbing ability, and this may have prevented the deficits in AE rats behavior from being detected. Nevertheless, male animals from all Ž . three postnatal treatments SC, GC and AE were significantly better on this task after RC. Female and male rats from all three postnatal groups demonstrated significantly better performance on the rotarod task after 20 days of ‘rehabilitation’. These results suggest that complex motor skill learning improves some of the motor performance deficits produced by postnatal exposure to alcohol and can potentially serve as a model for rehabilitative intervention. q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Alcohol; Fetal alcohol effects; Motor learning; Plasticity; Cerebellum 1. Introduction Ž . Children with fetal alcohol syndrome FAS or fetal Ž . alcohol effects FAE exhibit numerous cognitive prob- ) Corresponding author. Fax: q1-217-244-5180; E-mail: aklintso@s.psych.uiuc.edu Ž lems, hyperactivity and motor deficits e.g. Refs. w x. 14,34,47,71,72,76 . Some of the consequences of this prenatal exposure to alcohol appear to be lifelong while w x others may dissipate with age 46,69,75,76 . In cases lack- Ž . ing distinct facial abnormalities sometimes called FAE , a predominant behavioral characteristic that provides a basis w x for the diagnosis has been cognitive deficits 47 and w x deficits in motor development and performance 13,14,70 . 0006-8993r98r$19.00 q 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.