Eur J Anat, 24 (5): 407-413 (2020)

Ethanol exposure induces cerebellar neuronal loss in rats

Buddhadeb Ghosh¹, RaviKant Sharma¹, Suman Yadav², Vivek Parashar³,Prerna Jagdish³

¹Department of Anatomy, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India, ²Department of Anatomy, Dr RP Government Medical College, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India, ³Department of Anatomy, K D Medical College Hospital & Research Center, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, India

ABSTRACT Ethanol exposure causes cerebellar dysfunctionand cerebellar ataxia. Cerebellar Purkinje cellsdamage has not been explained as a constantfinding in studies addressing the alcoholic brainnor in experimental studies. The present studyaimed to find out the changes of cerebellarPurkinje cells in adult rats.Adult rats were divided into control (C) and ethanoltreated (E) groups eight animal each. The ratsin group E were exposed to ethanol 1g/kg bodyweight for three months. Moderate ethanol intakeproduces significant reduction in the count ofPurkinje cells in the anterior lobe of cerebellumwith irregular shrunken outline losing their characteristicpyriform shape. Eosinophilic swelling seenadjacent to Purkinje cell bodies. Purkinje cellswere observed without a prominent nucleolus orwell defined nuclear membrane. Pyknosis ofPurkinje cells was also observed.

Keywords: Ethanol â?? Cerebellum â?? Purkinje cell â?? Neurodegeneration â?? Histology