No changes in neocortical cell volumes or glial cell numbers in chronic alcoholic subjects compared to control subjects

Aims: To study if the total glial cell population in the neocortex is intact in subjects with a history of severe alcohol abuse compared to control subjects. Further, to investigate whether the cortical nerve cell nuclei and nerve cell perikarya volumes are the same in chronic alcoholic subjects as...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) 2007-09, Vol.42 (5), p.400-406
Main Authors: Fabricius, Katrine, Pakkenberg, Henning, Pakkenberg, Bente
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Aged
Alcoholism
Alcoholism - pathology
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Algorithms
Biological and medical sciences
Brain damage
Cell Count
Cell Size - drug effects
Cognitive abilities
Cortex
Cytological Techniques
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Neocortex - cytology
Neocortex - drug effects
Neocortex - pathology
Nerves
Neuroglia - drug effects
Neuroglia - physiology
Neuroglia - ultrastructure
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Toxicology
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Summary:Aims: To study if the total glial cell population in the neocortex is intact in subjects with a history of severe alcohol abuse compared to control subjects. Further, to investigate whether the cortical nerve cell nuclei and nerve cell perikarya volumes are the same in chronic alcoholic subjects as in the control subjects. Methods: Using the stereological method, the optical rotator in a vertical design, the perikaryon cell volume and nuclei cell volume in the neocortex and its four subdivisions were studied in 11 alcoholics and 10 control subjects. Using the Cavalieri estimator of volumes and the optical disector for cell counting, we estimated the total number of glial cells in the neocortex and compared previous stereological results for chronic alcoholic subjects. Results: We found the mean neuronal cell volumes to be unaffected by severe alcohol abuse (p = 0.84) and a normal total number of glial cells (p = 0.39) in chronic alcoholic subjects compared to control subjects. Conclusion: Only glial cells and dendritic/synaptic changes have so far been reported in stereological studies of the brains of alcoholic subjects. We thus have increasing evidence that it may be possible for some individuals to return to their previous cognitive abilities after cessation of alcohol which may give hope and encouragement for chronic alcoholic subjects to stop the abuse.
ISSN:0735-0414
1464-3502
DOI:10.1093/alcalc/agm007