Morphometric parameters of Purkinje dendritic networks after ethanol treatment during aging

Spine densities on terminal branches of Purkinje cell dendrites of Fischer 344 rats were significantly altered by ethanol treatment and aging processes. An effect of the control liquid diet on the lengths of terminal branches and an interaction effect of this diet with age on the numbers of terminal branches/cell also occurred, but there were no detectable interaction effects of ethanol with age on dendritic parameters. Changes in spine density on terminal branches, which accounted for 63-67% of the total dendritic length/cell, represented a major quantitative modulation of synaptic input to these neurons during age and following ethanol treatment.