Effects of alcohol and aging on the cingular (area 24) and frontal (area 6) cortical areas of the mouse

Abstract

We have studied the morphometric changes of the neurons of the cingular area 24 and frontal area 6 of the mouse, produced by age andlor chronic alcohol intake. The parameters analyzed were nuclear area of these cortical neurons and cellular density (celllneuropil coefficient). Wc dctccted a decrease in the number of neurons with age in practically al1 layers of the control animals. In the animals that chronically ingested the alcoholic solution, we also detected a decrease in the number of neurons with age, but only in layer V of the frontal cortex and in layer VI of the cingular area 24. The comparison between the control and the alcoholic group showed that alcohol intake caused an incrcasc in the nuclear area of the neurons in layer 11-111 of the frontal cortcx at 180 days, while in the cingular cortex the increase in nuclear area of its neurons was significative at 180 days in layer 11-111 and at 35 and 180 days in layers V and VI. We think that these changes are the expression of the neurona1 plasticity in both cortical areas in response to the alcohol exposure.