ABSTRACT
Pregnant mice were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of a 25% ethanol solution on day 12 of gestation. At the same time, control animals were given a same dose of saline. Retina, optic, tibial and saphenous nerves were prepared for light and transmission electron microscopy from offspring at one, two, three, four and six months of age. The number and cross-sectional areas of the myelinated axons were analyzed using a recent stereological technique. The study suggested that the alcohol administration during pregnancy in critical time of visual system development results in late atrophy of myelinated axons in the optic nerve. This effect which is specific to the central nervous system is stable and non-progressive with no deleterious effect on the peripheral nervous system