Exercise and Environmental Complexity Superintervention Improves Mechanical Property Recovery in FASD Rodents Measured via MRE

In this longitudinal study, we investigate the effects of fetal alcohol exposure on mechanical properties in the developing rodent brain using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). Additionally, we test whether behavioral “superintervention,” consisting of combined exposure to wheel running followed by environmental complexity, can mitigate changes to property measures. We found that alcohol exposed rats exhibit lower stiffness than sham intubated rats at baseline but recover stiffness to near baseline levels after superintervention. Furthermore, we confirmed MRE is sensitive to small property variations in rodents which may reflect myelination and microstructural integrity.