Neonatal Alcohol Exposure Reduces the Volume of Cerebellar Lobules Without Affecting Number of Parvalbumin Interneurons in a Mouse Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
Session Number
Q32
Advisor(s)
Justin Rhodes, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Location
A-133
Start Date
28-4-2016 8:50 AM
End Date
28-4-2016 9:15 AM
Abstract
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder occurs when a mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy, leading to physiological and neurobehavioral abnormalities and deficits in the brain of the fetus. This study investigated whether ethanol reduces the population of parvalbumin- expressing purkinje cells in the cerebellum of a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Additionally, another objective was to find thickness parameters for stereological counts of parvalbumin positive cells in the cerebellum. The mice were injected with either 0.9% saline solution (which has no effect on brain development) or ethanol which was administered two times a day for 3 days. The brain was sectioned in sagittal 30 micrometer thick sections, stained as a 1-in-3 series, and then parvalbumin cells counted using stereology within specific lobules. The ethanol treatment reduced volume of lobules III, VI and VII without changing total number of parvalbumin- positive cells in these regions. These results suggest that the volume reduction is not caused by reductions in the number of the parvalbumin positive cells, suggesting that other cell types, or processes must be reduced to account for the ethanol-induced volume loss in the cerebellum. Results have implications for understanding the long term impact of ethanol exposure on development of the brain.
Neonatal Alcohol Exposure Reduces the Volume of Cerebellar Lobules Without Affecting Number of Parvalbumin Interneurons in a Mouse Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
A-133
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder occurs when a mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy, leading to physiological and neurobehavioral abnormalities and deficits in the brain of the fetus. This study investigated whether ethanol reduces the population of parvalbumin- expressing purkinje cells in the cerebellum of a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. Additionally, another objective was to find thickness parameters for stereological counts of parvalbumin positive cells in the cerebellum. The mice were injected with either 0.9% saline solution (which has no effect on brain development) or ethanol which was administered two times a day for 3 days. The brain was sectioned in sagittal 30 micrometer thick sections, stained as a 1-in-3 series, and then parvalbumin cells counted using stereology within specific lobules. The ethanol treatment reduced volume of lobules III, VI and VII without changing total number of parvalbumin- positive cells in these regions. These results suggest that the volume reduction is not caused by reductions in the number of the parvalbumin positive cells, suggesting that other cell types, or processes must be reduced to account for the ethanol-induced volume loss in the cerebellum. Results have implications for understanding the long term impact of ethanol exposure on development of the brain.