The researchers tested if giving pregnant rats high levels of corticosterone affects their offspring's stress response. They did this by removing the adrenal glands of pregnant rats and giving them corticosterone or placebo. When the offspring were tested, they found that pups born to corticosterone-treated dams had lower corticosterone levels when exposed to stress, but no difference in stress hormone ACTH levels. This suggests that maternal corticosterone levels do not play a major role in the stress response of offspring exposed to alcohol in the womb.