酒精 長期投與時 흰쥐 海馬 維體細胞群 및 齒狀回 顆粒細胞群의 組織學的 變化

Histological Changes of Rat Hippocampal Pyramidal Cells and Dentate Granule Cells by Long-Term Ethanol Intake

The hippocampal formation has been known to be the most important structures for the memory and learning processes. The author tries to identify the effect of ethanol on the hippocampal formation, and to know whether the ethanol-induced changes are reversible or not by 4 weeks’ administration of 14% ethanol to 4 male rats and 4 weeks’ withdrawal following ethanol intake for 4 weeks in 3 male rats. The results obtained are as follows; 1) The overall pathological changes are degeneration. That is, necrosis (75%), vacuolar degeneration (17%) and necrosis with vacuolar degeneration (8%) are observed in the long-term ethanol administered group, and the proliferation of granules and threads in the cytoplasms in addition to the necrotic changes are seen in the all of ethanol withdrawal group. 2) The numbers of hippocampal pyramidal cells and dentate granule cells are significantly reduced after 4 weeks’ ethanol administration. The dentate granule cells do not change anymore, while the decreased hippocampal pyramicells return to the level of controls after 4 weeks’ rearing following ethanol withdrawal. In conclusion, ethanol might affect the hippocampal formation with possibly reversible degenerative changes.