Long-term nicotine exposure reduces Purkinje cell number in the adult rat cerebellar vermis. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Nicotine affects functions of the central nervous system. A previous study showed that developing cerebellar Purkinje cells are targets for early postnatal nicotine exposure. In this study, we assessed the effects of long-term nicotine exposure on mature cerebellar Purkinje cells. This is particularly relevant since the majority of smokers are exposed to nicotine over a long period. Female adult Sprague-Dawley rats received three doses of nicotine (0.01%, 0.03%, or 0.06%) through their sole water source. After 8 weeks of nicotine exposure, the cerebellar vermis was removed and processed for stereological cell counting. The results showed that this long-term nicotine treatment did not change the cerebellum weight or the size (volume) of the cerebellar vermis. The long-term nicotine treatment regimen did result in a significant loss of mature Purkinje cells in the cerebellum, however, such a loss of Purkinje cells was not nicotine dose-related. These findings indicated that the mature adult cerebellum is susceptible to the damaging effects of nicotine in depleting Purkinje cells in the cerebellum.

published proceedings

  • Neurotoxicol Teratol

altmetric score

  • 3

author list (cited authors)

  • Chen, W., Edwards, R. B., Romero, R. D., Parnell, S. E., & Monk, R. J.

citation count

  • 37

complete list of authors

  • Chen, Wei-Jung A||Edwards, Russell B||Romero, Roland D||Parnell, Scott E||Monk, Rebecca J

publication date

  • May 2003