[Histological and cytochemical changes in the cerebral cortex of the progeny of alcohol-administered animals].

The authors examined the sensomotor cortex of the brain of 30- and 60-day-old progeny of non-inbred female rats alcoholized for 4 months prior to and during pregnancy. The offspring presented structural and cytochemical signs of the malformation of the cerebral cortex and dystrophic changes. Signs characteristic of neuro-ontogenetic impairment include: retardation in the growth of the cortical width, the size of neurons, accumulation in them of protein substances and insufficient variability of classes of neurons in respect of protein concentrations. The above signs of cerebral dysontogenesis are not compensated for by the age of 60 days. Dystrophic-destructive alterations in neurons, augmenting with age, lead to significant depletion of the cortical layers. The authors discuss the role of impairment of the protein-synthetizing system of neurons in the morphological manifestation of the cerebral cortex dysontogenesis and in the development of the dystrophic process.