Acute ethanol administration and transient ischemia: A behavioral and neuropathological study

A pressing clinical question is how acute ethanol exposure might alter the outcome of a simultaneous transient ischemic attack (TIA), since ethanol is known to dysregulate key intermediary metabolites post-ischemia. Mongolian gerbils were administered ethanol (1 or 4g/kg, sc) 1 hour before induction of transient ischemia, via bilateral carotid occlusions of 5 minutes durat ion. A control group was administered isotonic saline and rendered ischemic . All animals were maintained normothermic during the ischemic procedure. S ubjects underwent behavioral assay of acquisition to the water maze 7 days after recovery from the surgery, and neuropathological examination 1-month after the ischemic brain insult. There were no behavioral or neuropathologi cal between-group differences suggesting that mechanisms other than adverse ethanol-induced perturbations of ischemic processes predominate in mediati ng epidemiological findings of elevated stroke morbidity with high ethanol consumption.