Cerebellar white matter after long-term ethanol consumption in mice.

Although the cortex of the cerebellum has been studied in ethanol-treated rats and mice, the condition of the cerebellar white matter in such animals has not been described. We have maintained adult mice on a 9% ethanol nutritious diet for 4 months after which some were sacrificed while others were kept for a further 4 months on an ethanol-free diet. Convincing signs of axonal degeneration were not found in either of the ethanol-treated groups, nor could the groups be distinguished on the basis of neuroglial cell counts. The presence of degenerating Purkinje cells and cellular atrophy in the granule cell layer does however imply the existence of some degeneration in the medullary layer. Cellular degeneration was found to be occurring in the cerebellar cortex after 4 months of withdrawal from the alcoholic diet as well as immediately after 4 months of alcohol consumption. The medullary layer appears not to be a sensitive indicator of damage in long-term ethanol consumption in the mouse.