Effect of perinatally administered ethanol on the development of the cerebellar granule cell

The effect of perinatally administered ethanol on the postnatal development of cerebellar granule cells was studied in mice which received 25% of their caloric intake as ethanol. Timed-pregnant females were given ethanol in a chocolate-flavored liquid from gestation day 12 until postnatal day 7, then the mice were returned to a chow and water regime. The pups were killed on postnatal day 14 and the tissue processed for Golgi analysis of the dendritic arbor. Camera lucida drawings were made of the granule cells and these drawings were subsequently analyzed using a Zeiss Videoplan. Examination of the granule cells revealed that there was a significant decrease in dendritic length and in the extent of the dendritic field. In addition, there was a delayed maturation of the terminal dendritic processes. These results are in accord with other reports in the literature which suggest that the altered dendritic patterns seen in ethanol toxicity may be one of the causative factors in the minimal brain dysfunction that is characteristic of the fetal alcohol syndrome.