IOVS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2003;44:2809-2817.)
© 2003 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.
DOI:  10.1167/iovs.02-0982
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tenkova, T.
Right arrow Articles by Olney, J. W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tenkova, T.
Right arrow Articles by Olney, J. W.

Ethanol-Induced Apoptosis in the Developing Visual System during Synaptogenesis

Tatyana Tenkova,1,2 Chainllie Young,1,2 Krikor Dikranian,1 Joann Labruyere,1 and John W. Olney1

1From the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

PURPOSE. Ethanol is known to have deleterious effects on the human fetal nervous system (fetal alcohol syndrome), including components of the visual system, but only modest progress has been made in understanding these effects. The authors have recently demonstrated that, during the period of synaptogenesis, a single episode of ethanol intoxication lasting for several hours triggers a massive wave of apoptotic neurodegeneration in several regions of the developing rat or mouse forebrain. The present study was undertaken to determine to what extent the developing visual system is vulnerable to the apoptogenic effects of ethanol.

METHODS. Infant rats and mice at ages from birth to 21 days were treated subcutaneously with a single dose of ethanol or with two doses, 2 hours apart, on a single day. Blood alcohol levels were determined, and the retinas and visual centers in the brain were examined by light and electronmicroscopy at various times from 4 to 24 hours after treatment.

RESULTS. Retinal ganglion cells and neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus, superior colliculus, and visual cortex were all highly susceptible to ethanol’s apoptogenic action, the period of peak sensitivity being postnatal days 1 to 4 for ganglion cells and 4 to 7 for the other visual neurons. A transient elevation of blood alcohol to approximately 120 mg/dL was sufficient to activate the cell death program in visual neurons.

CONCLUSIONS. During synaptogenesis, a single ethanol intoxication episode triggers apoptotic cell death of neurons at all levels of the visual system from retina to the visual cortex.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Anesth. Analg.Home page
V. Jevtovic-Todorovic and J. W. Olney
PRO: Anesthesia-Induced Developmental Neuroapoptosis: Status of the Evidence
Anesth. Analg., June 1, 2008; 106(6): 1659 - 1663.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
J. I. Matsui, A. L. Egana, T. R. Sponholtz, A. R. Adolph, and J. E. Dowling
Effects of ethanol on photoreceptors and visual function in developing zebrafish.
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., October 1, 2006; 47(10): 4589 - 4597.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Toxicol SciHome page
J. M. Gohlke, W. C. Griffith, and E. M. Faustman
A Systems-Based Computational Model for Dose-Response Comparisons of Two Mode of Action Hypotheses for Ethanol-Induced Neurodevelopmental Toxicity
Toxicol. Sci., August 1, 2005; 86(2): 470 - 484.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2003 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology