Senility and alcoholism: Gene expressions in apoptosis in UChB rat cerebellum (voluntary ethanol consumers)

• Grant number: 15/07807-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2015
• End date: December 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Marcelo Martinez
• Grantee: Isabela Maria Urra Rossetto
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Despite the absence of a substantial and comprehensive scientific data prevents an assessment of the real impact of drinking in older adults, abuse and harmful alcohol appears as a common feature of older people. Elderly are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of alcohol consumption, because of biological changes associated with aging such as decrease of water in the body, the efficiency of liver enzymes and hepatic blood flow, the responsiveness of the brain, reinforced by interaction with drugs. The adverse effects of acute or chronic exposure to ethanol on the functions of the cerebellum have been recognized for decades, affecting movement and balance. In addition to the motor impairment, cerebellar degeneration contributes to distinct neuropsychological deficits in chronic alcoholics, as well as in children with prenatal exposure to ethanol. However, the effects on senile individuals are scarce. The objectives will be to determine the apoptotic and anti-apoptotic gene expression and protein quantification to contribute to the understanding of the consequences of alcohol abuse on the senile cerebellum.