Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Disrupts γ-Secretase Activity and Impairs Learning and Memory in Wild-Type and 3xTg-AD Mice

Although prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has been proposed as an early-life risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD), the mechanistic underpinnings are underexplored. Mutations in the Presenilin genes contribute to AD/ADRD, with Presenilin 1 acting as the catalytic subunit of the γ-secretase complex responsible for cleaving Notch and amyloid precursor protein (APP). We hypothesized that PAE disrupts γ-secretase activity during brain development, which persists and is associated with behavioral deficits later in life. Pregnant wild-type B6129 and 3xTg-AD mice were fed an ethanol-containing liquid diet during gestational days 13–15. From birth to adulthood, PAE increased APP C-terminal fragments and Notch intracellular domain (NICD) levels in cortical lysates. These changes were associated with impaired hippocampal-dependent learning and memory in wild-type mice at 3 and 6 months of age and exacerbated behavioral deficits in 4-month-old 3xTg-AD mice. Our findings provide the first mechanistic insight linking PAE to AD/ADRD vulnerability.