title: Qualitative and quantitative changes of mouse cerebellar synapses after chronic alcohol consumption and withdrawal.
abstract: For 4 months C57 mice were fed a nutritionally complete diet containing 9% alcohol or isocaloric sucrose and killed then or after 4 months recovery on standard food pellets. Electron microscopy was used to count synapses among the cerebellar Purkinje cell dendrites and a significant 13% reduction was found in the alcohol recovery group. The shape of the postsynaptic density material was studied and a significant 11% increase in length found in the alcohol group. The smaller thickness of the postsynaptic material in animals of the alcohol recovery group may be representative of new synaptic formation.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003712:Dendrites / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000431:Ethanol / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000473:pathology*; D013569:Synapses / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol