Comparative Characteristics of Morphometric Changes in the Brain Tissue Caused by Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Hypoxia.

According to current knowledge, hypoxia is a key mechanism mediating the detrimental effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on the nervous tissue. However, comparative analysis of these interrelated conditions has only been partially addressed. We conducted a morphometric analysis of fetal brain tissue affected by chronic alcohol exposure and hypoxia. A decrease in the specific area of neuroblasts, glioblasts, and microvascular elements was found. Hypoxia promoted enlargement of neuroblasts and their differentiation into immature neurons, whereas alcohol exposure led only to a decrease in their number. In the brain subjected to hypoxia, glioblasts were characterized by size variability with a general trend toward reduction, while alcohol had no significant effect on their size. Both experimental groups showed a decline in vascular density.