Age-dependent susceptibility of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells to ethanol exposure

It is known that a proportion of cerebellar Purkinje cells do not complete development in the normal rat. In this study neonatal rat pups were treated at various stages of Purkinje cell development with ethanol vapour. We observed an increased rate of Purkinje cell loss at postnatal day 3, yet identically treated littermates had a normal complement of Purkinje cells compared to age-matched controls at 47 days of age. Single day ethanol exposures during Purkinje cell ontogenesis seems to accelerate a natural loss of Purkinje cells without a permanent loss persisting to adult life.