MATERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT MITIGATES SOCIAL BEHAVIOR DEFICITS INDUCED BY PERINATAL ETHANOL EXPOSURE IN MICE

Perinatal ethanol exposure disrupts maternal behavior and offspring development, which may be mediated by alterations in oxytocin (OXT) signaling, a key regulator of maternal and social behavior. Environmental enrichment (EE) can enhance maternal behavior and may modulate the oxytocinergic system. This study investigated whether gestational EE could reduce ethanol-induced alterations in maternal behavior and offspring social behavior in mice. Female Swiss mice were housed in standard or enriched conditions and exposed to water or ethanol, generating four groups. EE was provided during gestation, and ethanol exposure occurred from gestational day 15 to postnatal day (PND) 10. Maternal behavior was assessed on PND4, OXT-immunoreactive cell counts in the paraventricular nucleus and hypothalamic OXT gene expression on PND21, and offspring social interaction and social novelty preference on PND35. A subsequent cross-fostering experiment was conducted using the same experimental design. On PND1, ethanol-exposed offspring were cross-fostered between enriched and non-enriched dams, while a control group of ethanol-exposed offspring remained with non-enriched dams. Ethanol-exposed dams in standard housing showed reduced maternal behavior, which was mitigated by EE. Gestational EE also increased maternal OXT-immunoreactive cell counts and OXT gene expression. Perinatal ethanol exposure impaired offspring social interaction and social novelty preference, whereas gestational EE prevented these deficits. Cross-fostering enhanced social interaction in ethanol-exposed offspring reared by enriched dams, while social novelty preference was not affected. These results indicate that perinatal ethanol disrupts maternal behavior and offspring social behavior, whereas gestational EE mitigates these effects, with maternal care partially contributing to offspring outcomes.