Second trimester prenatal alcohol exposure alters development of rat corpus callosum.
Prenatal alcohol exposure produces many developmental defects of the central nervous system (CNS), such as in the corpus callosum (CC). This study was designed to observe the effect of prenatal alcohol exposure during the second trimester equivalent on the development of dendritic arbors of CC projection neurons (CCpn) in rat visual cortex. In addition, the effect of second trimester equivalent prenatal alcohol exposure on brain weight was determined. Pregnant dams received 1.2-6.0 g/kg ethanol (EtOH) during gestational day (G) 11-20. Controls consisted of normal and nutritionally matched pairfed (PF) dams. Pups were sacrificed on the day of birth, G26, G29 and G33. DiI crystals were placed in the midsagittal CC bundle to retrogradely label CCpn. Images of visual cortex were obtained from tissue slices using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The number and length of apical and basilar dendrite branches were determined. The results show that prenatal alcohol exposure restricted to the second trimester equivalent alters the development of the CCpn dendritic arbor and the brain weight in a blood alcohol concentration (BAC)-dependent manner. The alteration in the EtOH CCpn is manifested as an increase in the number and length of CCpn apical and basilar dendrite branches, while brain weight is reduced compared with Controls.
Qiang
Mei
M
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 855 Monroe Avenue, Memphis 38163, USA.
Wang
Ming Wei
MW
Elberger
Andrea J
AJ
D000367:Age Factors; D061085:Agenesis of Corpus Callosum; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003337:Corpus Callosum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003712:Dendrites / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009421:Nervous System Malformations / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology
D000431:Ethanol