Specifically, the project focuses upon influences of ethanol on normal (or physiologic) aging in the rat. Both, the aging phenomenon and alcohol abuse are two of the nation's top rated health concerns. The pertinent literature reveal that animal model studies are needed in order to understand and also therapeutically treat aged humans and also patients who chronically abuse alcohol. A detailed study utilizing the Golgi techniques and standard transmission electron microscope procedures is currently being carried out on the suprachiasmatic, supraoptic, paraventricular and medial preoptic nuclei. These studies will be completed and extended to include the influence of ethanol on hypothalamic aging by: (I)Treating 3 groups of animals with chronic daily ethanol doses (3.0 or 3.6 g/Kg) intragastrally for varying periods of time beginning with the 1st week of neonatal life. Liter-mate untreated controls will be used to supplement and further correlate findings obtained in a current study. The periods of treatment for the 3 groups will be 2-3 weeks, 3 months and 9 months of age. (2)Reversibility of the ethanol treatment and or intensification of it on normal aging will be assessed by allowing 1/2 of the animals in each group to be withdrawn from treatment and allowed to survive under standard, lab conditions up to 24 months of age. (3)The morphological effects at hypothalamic levels will be assessed by studying brain sections after the animals are sacrificed (immediately after treatment is terminated and also after the extended age period of 24 months). Data analysis will be assisted by a vidas image analysis system.
| Woods, W H; Powell, E W; Andrews, A et al. (1993) Light and electron microscopic analysis of two divisions of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the young and aged rat. Anat Rec 237:71-88 |
