P50 Component 5:Dysregulation of Cortico-Striatal Function in Prenatal Alcohol-Exposed Mice

(PI: Jonathan Brigman; Co-I: Valenzuela) will integrate mouse touch screen visual discrimination-based reversal learning paradigms with in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological recording to examine how prenatal ethanol exposure alters corticostriatal circuitry during associative learning and behavioral flexibility and whether impaired orbitofrontal regulation of the dorsal striatum increases maladaptive perseveration. Their preliminary data shows both the feasibility of performing cortical in vivo recording during touch screen learning and that prenatal exposure significantly alters associative learning.