Effects of ethanol during adolescence on the number of neurons and glia in the medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral amygdala of adult male and female rats

Abstract Human adolescents often consume alcohol in a binge-like manner at a time when changes are occurring within specific brain structures, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLN). In particular, the number of neurons and glia is changing in b...

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Published in:	Brain research Vol. 1466; pp. 24 - 32
Main Authors:	Koss, W.A, Sadowski, R.N, Sherrill, L.K, Gulley, J.M, Juraska, J.M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 23-07-2012 Elsevier
Subjects:	Addictive behaviors Adolescence adolescents Adult and adolescent clinical studies adulthood adults Age Alcohol Alcoholism Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning Amygdala Amygdala - cytology Amygdala - drug effects Animals Biological and medical sciences Body Weight - drug effects Brain Cell Count Cell death Cell proliferation cortex Cortex (prefrontal) Ethanol Ethanol - pharmacology Female females Glia humans Male males Medical sciences Neuroglia - cytology Neuroglia - drug effects Neurology Neurons Neurons - cytology Neurons - drug effects Prefrontal Cortex - cytology Prefrontal Cortex - drug effects Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry Psychopathology. Psychiatry Rats Rats, Long-Evans Sex difference Sex differences Sex Factors Stereology Toxicology Cell proliferation Alcohol Stereology Cell death Sex difference Amygdala Rat Neuroglia Central nervous system Male Encephalon Alcoholic beverage Number Adult Female Amygdaloid nucleus Human Ethanol Alcoholism Rodentia Basal ganglion Prefrontal cortex Vertebrata Mammalia Neuron Animal Adolescent
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Summary:	Abstract Human adolescents often consume alcohol in a binge-like manner at a time when changes are occurring within specific brain structures, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLN). In particular, the number of neurons and glia is changing in both of these areas in the rat between adolescence and adulthood (Markham et al., 2007; Rubinow and Juraska, 2009). The current study investigated the effects of ethanol exposure during adolescence on the number of neurons and glia in the adult mPFC and BLN in Long–Evans male and female rats. Saline or 3 g/kg ethanol was administered between postnatal days (P) 35–45 in a binge-like pattern, with 2 days of injections followed by 1 day without an injection. Stereological analyses of the ventral mPFC (prelimbic and infralimbic areas) and the BLN were performed on brains from rats at 100 days of age. Neuron and glia densities were assessed with the optical disector and then multiplied by the volume to calculate the total number of neurons and glia. In the adult mPFC, ethanol administration during adolescence resulted in a decreased number of glia in males, but not females, and had no effect on the number of neurons. Adolescent ethanol exposure had no effects on glia or neuron number in the BLN. These results suggest that glia cells in the prefrontal cortex are particularly sensitive to binge-like exposure to ethanol during adolescence in male rats only, potentially due to a decrease in proliferation in males or protective mechanisms in females.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2012.05.023 ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 Authors contributed equally to study
ISSN:	0006-8993 1872-6240
DOI:	10.1016/j.brainres.2012.05.023