Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a condition that currently affects 1% of babies born in Europe and North America. It is characterised by memory impairment, developmental delay and distinctive facial features. This research uses a mouse prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) model to explore the effects of PAE on learning, memory and to explore the potentially beneficial effects of common drugs previously shown to have cognitive enhancing effects in both humans and animals.

Sixty mice (M=30 F=30) C57 mice were exposed to 5% ethanol throughout pregnancy. After weaning the offspring received Losartan (10mg/kg) via their drinking water for 8 weeks. At 3months, learning and memory was assessed using the novel object recognition paradigm.

PAE caused a significant decrease in offspring body weight. Treatment with Losartan caused no growth impairment or renal damage. Novel object recognition indicated that PAE caused male offspring to spend significantly less time exploring the novel object than controls and that treatment with Losartan had the effect of improving awareness of the novel object both in the control and alcohol group and decreasing anxiety (P≤0.05). A significant opposite effect was noticed in the female alcohol progeny when compared to the male alcohol progeny (P≤0.05). Losartan in female alcohol progeny had no effect on anxiety. Male control Losartan spent more time exploring the novel object than male alcohol Losartan (P≤0.05).

Losartan had no deleterious effects on the development of the animals, and was able to improve learning and memory in control animals without effect in PAE mice.