Intragastric intubation of alcohol during postnatal development of rats results in selective cell loss in the cerebellum.

Postnatal alcohol exposure produces reductions in the number of Purkinje cells in the rat cerebellum. The goal of this study was to determine if the method of postnatal alcohol exposure would influence the degree of vulnerability of the Purkinje cells. Previously reported studies from other laboratories have demonstrated cerebellar Purkinje cell count reductions following postnatal alcohol exposure via artificial rearing and vapor inhalation techniques. This study used gastric intubation to administer alcohol (3.6 g ethanol/kg body weight, bid) to male rat pups from postnatal days 4-10. Peak blood alcohol levels were 203 +/- 12.7 mg/dl on postnatal day 6. On postnatal day 10, the animals were perfused, and brain weights were obtained. Body weight was not significantly altered by the postnatal alcohol exposure, yet the wet weights of the cerebral cortex and whole brain were significantly reduced. Although the cerebellar weight was not significantly reduced, the overall number of Purkinje cells measured in the cerebellar vermis was significantly reduced by 24% compared with the isocaloric and normal control groups. The pattern of vulnerability for the individual cerebellar lobules was similar to the previously reported studies, indicating that alcohol's teratogenicity transcends experimental paradigm and is remarkably consistent, when relatively similar blood alcohol profiles are established.