For the assignment Statistics in the Media, I used the following article “Chronic Stress
Alters Behavior in the Forced Swim Test and Underlying Neural Activity in Animals Exposed to
Alcohol Prenatally: Sex- and Time-Dependent Effects “by Vivian YY Lam. Dr. Lam and her
team constructed a research study to test if in fact prenatal alcohol exposure may predispose
individuals to the effects of stress exposure throughout life, and increase the risk of developing
depression compared to unexposed individuals. Their hypothesis for this study was (1) Prenatal
alcohol exposure PAE will alter depressive-like behavior and neural activation in response to
behavioral testing; (2a) Chronic unpredictable stress CUS will differentially alter depressive-like
behavior and neural activity in PAE compared to control C animals; and (2b) the differential
effects of CUS on brain and behavior in PAE compared to C animals may depend on whether
testing is immediate or delayed following termination of CUS exposure.
The independent variables of the study were the prenatal alcohol exposure and the
