[Morphometric analysis of the changes in the cerebral cortex of rats after long-term administration of alcohol]

To have objective quantitative characterization of the structural features of alcoholic encephalopathy after abstinence, a morphometric analysis was made of the changes in nerve and glial cells of the sensorimotor brain cortex of rats 7 days after the discontinuation of long alcoholization of the animals. A significant decrease of the density and size of neurons in layers III and V, a rise in both layers of the number of neurons with severe pathology, a reduction of the amount of the general and perineuronal glia were revealed. The data obtained suggest marked atrophic processes that occur in the brain cortex of long alcoholized rats. Besides, they also allow regarding those processes as morphological reflection of lowered function of the brain cortex.