INTRAGASTRIC INTUBATION OF ALCOHOL DURING POSTNATAL-DEVELOPMENT OF RATS RESULTS IN SELECTIVE CELL LOSS IN THE CEREBELLUM

Postnatal alcohol exposure produces reductions in the number of Purkin je cells in the rat cerebellum. The goal of this study was to determin e if the method of postnatal alcohol exposure would influence the degr ee of vulnerability of the Purkinje cells. Previously reported studies from other laboratories have demonstrated cerebellar Purkinje cells c ount reductions following postnatal alcohol exposure via artificial re aring and vapor inhalation techniques. This study used gastric intubat ion to administer alcohol (3.6 g ethanol/kg body weight, bid) to male rat pups from postnatal days 4-10. Peak blood alcohol levels were 203 +/- 12.7 mg/dl on postnatal day 6. On postnatal day 10, the animals we re perfused, and brain weights were obtained. Body weight was not sign ificantly altered by the postnatal alcohol exposure, yet the wet weigh ts of the cerebral cortex and whole brain were significantly reduced. Although the cerebellar weight was not significantly reduced, the over all number of Purkinje cells measured in the cerebellar vermis was sig nificantly reduced by 24% compared with the isocaloric and normal cont rol groups. The pattern of vulnerability for the individual cerebellar lobules was similar to the previously reported studies, indicating th at alcohol's teratogenicity transcends experimental paradigm and is re markedly consistent, when relatively similar blood alcohol profiles ar e established.