Brain, Vol. 110, No. 2, 301-314, 1987
© 1987 Oxford University Press
research-article |
A QUANTITATIVE HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE CEREBELLAR VERMIS IN ALCOHOLIC PATIENTS
1the Department of Anatomy, Monash University Clayton, Victoria 2the Department of Neuropathology, Royal Perth Hospital Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to: Dr. Stephen C. Phillips, Department of Anatomy, Monash University, Clayton, 3168 Victoria, Australia.
A quantitative histological study was made of the cerebellar vermis in 10 male alcoholic and 8 agematched control cases. The mean Purkinje cell loss was 21% in the alcoholic group. The small rostral and caudal lobes were most severely affected. The mean Purkinje cell density per unit length of foliae showed similar changes. Histological measurements of the area of the molecular, granular and medullary layers of the cerebellar vermis showed that the molecular layer varied in the degree of shrinkage between lobes (from 11 to 39%) while the granular layer showed a consistent shrinkage (9 to 10%). The molecular layer appears to be the most vulnerable region in chronic alcoholics. Brains taken from patients with Wernicke's encephalopathy had particularly low Purkinje cell counts and a large pericerebral space. Nutritional deficiency would seem to be an important factor in the causation of the observed neuropathology, with liver disease playing a lesser role. Evidence that repeated alcohol withdrawal can lead to further brain disturbances is reviewed.
Received November 29, 1985. Revised April 25, 1986. Accepted June 24, 1986.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Harper The Neuropathology of Alcohol-Related Brain Damage Alcohol Alcohol., March 1, 2009; 44(2): 136 - 140. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. C. M. Brust A 74-Year-Old Man With Memory Loss and Neuropathy Who Enjoys Alcoholic Beverages JAMA, March 5, 2008; 299(9): 1046 - 1054. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. E. Axelrad, E. D. Louis, L. S. Honig, I. Flores, G. W. Ross, R. Pahwa, K. E. Lyons, P. L. Faust, and J. P. G. Vonsattel Reduced Purkinje Cell Number in Essential Tremor: A Postmortem Study Arch Neurol, January 1, 2008; 65(1): 101 - 107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. E. Jung, M. B. Gatch, and J. W. Simpkins Estrogen Neuroprotection Against the Neurotoxic Effects of Ethanol Withdrawal: Potential Mechanisms Experimental Biology and Medicine, January 1, 2005; 230(1): 8 - 22. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. Riikonen, P. Jaatinen, J. Rintala, I. Porsti, K. Karjala, and A. Hervonen INTERMITTENT ETHANOL EXPOSURE INCREASES THE NUMBER OF CEREBELLAR MICROGLIA Alcohol Alcohol., September 1, 2002; 37(5): 421 - 426. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 E. V. Sullivan, A. Deshmukh, J. E. Desmond, D. H. Mathalon, M. J. Rosenbloom, K. O. Lim, and A. Pfefferbaum Contribution of Alcohol Abuse to Cerebellar Volume Deficits in Men With Schizophrenia Arch Gen Psychiatry, September 1, 2000; 57(9): 894 - 902. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J.M. Nicolas, J. Fernandez-Sola, J. Robert, E. Antunez, M. Cofan, C. Cardenal, E. Sacanella, R. Estruch, and A. Urbano-Marquez High ethanol intake and malnutrition in alcoholic cerebellar shrinkage QJM, July 1, 2000; 93(7): 449 - 456. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Johnson-Greene, K. M. Adams, S. Gilman, K. J. Kluin, L. Junck, S. Martorello, and M. Heumann Impaired Upper Limb Coordination in Alcoholic Cerebellar Degeneration Arch Neurol, April 1, 1997; 54(4): 436 - 439. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 P J Karhune, T Erkinjuntti, and P Laippala Moderate alcohol consumption and loss of cerebellar Prikinje cells BMJ, June 25, 1994; 308(6945): 1663 - 1667. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A.D. Thomson, O.E. Pratt, M. Jeyasingham, and G.K. Shaw Alcohol and Brain Damage Human and Experimental Toxicology, September 1, 1988; 7(5): 455 - 463. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|