Trace eyeblink classical conditioning between rats in the iron-sufficient (IS, open
symbols, A, C) and iron-deficient (ID, closed symbols, B, D)
groups as a function of alcohol dose (○● 0 g/kg, □■ 3.5
g/kg, △▲5 g/kg; n = 10–12 animals per treatment group;
error bars represent S.E.M.). Separately, alcohol and ID significantly affected learning
acquisition in terms of conditioned response (CR) percentage (A, B) and
amplitude (C, D) during paired training with the CS and US. Due to the
inherent difficulty with acquiring CRs in trace ECC compared to delay ECC, the overall
percentages and amplitudes are lower for all groups. ID-3.5 and ID-5.0 animals were more
significantly impaired in acquiring CRs than their same-dose counterparts. Differences in
learning were not detected between ID-0 and IS-0 animals. Conversely, the impact of
moderate or heavy alcohol exposure (3.5 g/kg and 5 g/kg) on learning was mitigated by an
iron-sufficient diet.