Speaker

Dr. Serge McGraw

Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Azrieli Research Center, Université de Montréal

Topic

Preimplantation Alcohol Exposure: Lasting Epigenomic, Transcriptomic and Brain Effects

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can shape long-term health and cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). The effects of PAE during the preimplantation period are poorly understood. Using a mouse model with a single binge-like exposure at the 8-cell stage (E2.5), we investigated consequences for brain and placental development.

Early exposure produced growth delays and brain malformations, with widespread DNA methylation and transcriptomic changes in the embryonic forebrain. Key neurodevelopmental genes, including Arx, Dlx2, Lhx6 and Sox6, were dysregulated, correlating with delayed migration of GABAergic interneurons and long-term behavioral deficits.  Analyses of late-gestation placentas revealed epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulation in genes involved in growth regulation and serotonin transport. Using machine learning, placental DNA methylation profiles accurately distinguished alcohol-exposed embryos from controls.

Together, these results reveal early epigenetic origins of FASD and thus support placental methylation signatures as a molecular tool for detecting prenatal alcohol exposure at birth and improving early diagnosis.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how alcohol exposure during the preimplantation period impacts early embryonic and brain development.
• Discuss how early preimplantation alcohol exposure results in lasting epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations during brain development.
• Connect these altered epigenetic and transcriptomic changes to abnormal GABAergic migration and behavioral outcomes.

Details

November 26, 2025
9:00 AM in BMSB341