title: The effect of chronic ethanol intake on brain NGF level and on NGF-target tissues of adult mice.
abstract: The effect of ethanol consumption on the forebrain and hypothalamus of adult mice was investigated. A consistent decrease of biological activity and of nerve growth factor (NGF) immunoreactivity was observed in the hippocampus and hypothalamus of alcohol-treated mice. Biochemical studies also indicate that chronic ethanol intake causes a reduction in the level of choline-acetyltransferase in the septum, hippocampus and striatum, but not in the cortex and other brain regions. This study provides evidence that long-term ethanol intake causes impairment of brain NGF level and of the cholinergic enzyme, regulated by NGF, suggesting that NGF synthesis and/or biological activity is affected in alcohol-related brain neuropathology.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurobiology, CNR, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Aloe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bracci-Laudiero
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tirassa
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D051379:Mice; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012688:Septum Pellucidum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; D000431:Ethanol; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase