Fig. 1 depicts the moderate alcohol exposure paradigm (in vivo) and the cell culture model used from ex vivo derived neural progenitor cells used in these studies. Animals were exposed to a moderate dose (10% w/v) of alcohol in utero for up to 17 days (E15–E17) via a limited access model of alcohol consumption by the dam (Brady et al., 2012). Telencephalonic cells derived from E15-E17 tissue were cultured (ex vivo) with growth factors to obtain a proliferating neural progenitor cell (NPC) culture. The age of extraction for each set of PAE and control tissue was matched for each culture condition and determined via crown-to-rump length. After 3 passages (approximately 10+ days in vitro), growth factors were removed for differentiation of NPCs either into neural or glial lineage; NPCs typically differentiate into neurons between 7–10 days after growth factor removal. The differentiated cell culture contained a heterogeneous mixture of neurons and glial cells. RNA was extracted from two culture conditions and used for analysis in a microarray of genes associated with neurogenesis.
