Modifications of thalamo-cortical circuitry in rats prenatally exposed to ethanol.
The present study aimed to investigate the organization of thalamo-cortical connections in adult rats exposed to ethanol during the last week of foetal life. Animals underwent thalamic injections of lectin-conjugated HRP. Results demonstrate that the thalamic-recipient zone of sensorimotor cortex is significantly thinner in ethanol-exposed than in control cases. Animals exposed to ethanol also display aberrant thalamo-cortical terminations in layer 5a. Neurones of origin of cortico-thalamic projections are normally located in layers 5 and 6; they appear quantitatively comparable in control and ethanol-exposed cases. Developmental alterations underlying the establishment of anomalous thalamo-cortical relationships are discussed.
Laboratory of Experimental Neurology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy.
D
D
Minciacchi
A
A
Granato
M
M
Santarelli
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A
Sbriccoli
D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D005865:Gestational Age; D051381:Rats; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology