Dynamics of Histological Changes in the Frontal Cortex of the Brain in Rats Subjected to Antenatal Exposure to Alcohol

The aim of the present work was to undertake a comparative study of the effects of prenatal alcoholization of the histological characteristics of neurons in the frontal cortex of the brains of rats of different ages. Experiments were performed on 175 mongrel white rats – the offspring of 25 females given 15% ethanol as drinking solution throughout pregnancy. The cerebral cortex was studied on postnatal days 2–90 using histological, histochemical, and morphometric methods. An increase (on days 2 and 5) followed by a decrease (on days 10 and 90) was seen in cortical thickness, with a decrease in neuron body size (on days 20–90), a decrease in the number of neurons in cortical layer V, a decrease in the number of normochromic cells, and increases in the numbers of hyperchromic shrunken neurons and ghost cells throughout the study period. Antenatal alcoholization in rats induced various histological changes in the frontal cortex, which were long-lasting and progressive during postnatal ontogeny.