used, and where critical periods of vulnerability are being examined (47, 113, 158, 159, 162, 166, 167). The BACs achieved in most studies range between 80–180 mg/dl (for voluntary drinking or liquid diet) and over 200 mg/dl for studies where i.p. injections or oral intubation is used. C57BL/6 is the most common strain of mouse used, but other similar strains are also employed. The ability to genetically manipulate mice can be a huge advantage and many studies into the genetic components associated with FASD have utilized mice as a model (160, 165, 167, 168). A disadvantage with using mice is that the third trimester equivalent of development occurs following birth (see Developmental Timing of Ethanol Exposure). To overcome this, many studies will administer ethanol during the early postnatal period (third trimester equivalent, PND 1–10, see Artificial Rearing), however, issues arise with this method because ethanol exposure occurs outside of the confines of the placental barrier and kinetics and metabolism may be fundamentally different when compared to what happens in utero. Despite this, mice are still commonly used, and many common features of FASD that are observed in human subjects are also observed in mice, including craniofacial abnormalities (47, 113, 157),
