Embryonic alcohol exposure: Towards the development of a zebrafish model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a devastating disease of the brain caused by exposure to alcohol during prenatal development. Its prevalence exceeds 1%. The majority of FASD cases represent the milder forms of the disease which often remain undiagnosed, and even when diagnosed treatment options for the patient are limited due to lack of information about the mechanisms that underlie the disease. The zebrafish has been proposed as a model organism for exploring the mechanisms of FASD. Our laboratory has been studying the effects of low doses of alcohol during embryonic development in the zebrafish. This review discusses the methods of alcohol exposure, its effects on behavioral performance including social behavior and learning, and the potential underlying biological mechanisms in zebrafish. It is based upon a recent keynote address delivered by the author, and it focuses on findings obtained mainly in his own laboratory. It paints a promising future of this small vertebrate in FASD research.