Prenatal Exposure to Chronic Ethanol on N Methyl D Aspartate Receptor Distribution

Problem statement: Effect of chronic exposure to ethanol on NR1 subunit of the NMDA receptor distribution in chick embryo brain chronic ethanol intake leads to the development of dependence on and tolerance to ethanol in both human and animals. The glutamate system plays a major role in mediating ethanol effects on brain and behavior. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether chronic ethanol exposure altered NR1 subunit of N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor distribution in the developing chick brain on 10 and 15th day of egg incubation. Approach: Forty fertilized eggs divided in 2 groups, control and chronic. In the chronic group the eggs were chronically exposed to ethanol 10% during 15 day of embryonic period. Immunohistochemical procedure was used for NR1 subunit of NMDA receptor distribution determination. Image analyzer program were used for color analyzing of immunohistochemistry slides. Data were analyzed statistically by Student T test. The level of significance was assumed to be (p<0.05. Results: Immunohistological finding of these experiments indicated that chronic exposure to ethanol significantly (p<0.05) decreased density of NR1 subunit of NMDA receptors in cerebral cortex of chick brain on 10 and 15th day of embryonic stage. But the number of immunolable cell per mm2 of cerebral cortex did not show any difference. Conclusion/Recommendation: Our results indicated that chronic exposure to ethanol decreased NR1 subunit of NMDA receptor distribution in cerebral cortex of chick embryo on 10 and 15th day of embryonic stage. But did not have any effect on number of immunolable cell per mm2 of cerebral cortex.