| Alcohol-mediated Purkinje cell loss in the absence of hypoxemia during the third trimester in an ovine model system. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 11505032 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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BACKGROUND: Although the mechanisms that underlie fetal alcohol-induced neuronal loss have not been determined, hypoxia/hypoxemia has been considered a leading candidate. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that neuronal loss could occur in the developing brain in the absence of fetal hypoxemia. METHODS: Three groups of pregnant sheep were used: a control group, a binge-drinking group, and a pair-fed group. The alcohol and pair-fed animals were anesthetized on day 113 of pregnancy, and the mothers and fetuses were instrumented with arterial and venous catheters. All animals were killed on day 133. Stereological cell counting techniques were used to estimate the total number of Purkinje cells in the fetal cerebellum. RESULTS: Peak maternal and fetal blood alcohol concentrations did not produce fetal hypoxemia. Nevertheless, there was a 25% loss of Purkinje cells of the cerebellum in the alcohol-exposed fetuses compared with that in the pair-fed controls. The loss of neurons was not accompanied by microencephaly or a concomitant decrease in either cerebellar weight or volume of the fetal cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: Neuronal loss can be observed after alcohol exposure during the third trimester equivalent in fetal sheep in the absence of alcohol-induced hypoxemia. Furthermore, cell loss in the absence of deficits in gross brain weight or regional brain volume indicates that the lack of gross brain volume deficits from magnetic resonance imaging techniques is not a reliable indication that the brain is unaffected by the alcohol exposure. |
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Authors:
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J R West; S E Parnell; W J Chen ; T A Cudd |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research Volume: 25 ISSN: 0145-6008 ISO Abbreviation: Alcohol. Clin. Exp. Res. Publication Date: 2001 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2001-08-15 Completed Date: 2001-09-13 Revised Date: 2007-11-15 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7707242 Medline TA: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 1051-7 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology, College of Medicine, The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843-1114, USA. jrwest@tamu.edu |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Algorithms Animals Anoxia / pathology* Body Weight / drug effects Brain / drug effects, pathology Cell Count Central Nervous System Depressants / pharmacology* Cerebellum / pathology* Ethanol / pharmacology* Female Organ Size / drug effects Pregnancy Purkinje Cells / pathology* Sheep |
| Grant Support | |
ID/Acronym/Agency:
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AA10940/AA/NIAAA NIH HHS |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Central Nervous System Depressants; 64-17-5/Ethanol |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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