[Structure of the brain sensomotor cortex in offspring of rats exposed to alcohol]

The purpose of the present study was to examine the development of sensomotor brain cortex structures in progeny of male and female rats chronically intoxicated by alcohol. Using the methods of light and electron microscopy and morphometry, the peculiarities of sensomotor cortex cytoarchitectonics, structure on neurons and of their dendrites were studied in rats aged 21 and 30 days, which belong to the progeny of chronically alcoholized male and female animals. Three categories of morphological changes were recognized: the signs indicative of a delay in the neuronal and dendritic maturation, their destructive changes and the repair phenomena, which possess their individual dynamics in postnatal ontogenesis. At 3 weeks of age the extensive destructive changes are seen besides the delay in neuronal maturation and dendritic system underdevelopment. Repair processes increase with age, but the neuronal destructive changes persist, suggesting the delayed mode of action of alcohol intoxication of the animals on the structural brain development in their offspring.