Figure 5.

Sholl analysis shows increased length and branching of apical and basal dendrites from mPFC LVPNs of ethanol-consuming rats compared with water-consuming controls. A–D, Sholl analysis of mPFC LVPNs from ethanol- and water-consuming animals revealed a significant effect of ethanol on the length and branching of apical dendrites (A, B: water, n = 19; ethanol, n = 23) and basal dendrites (C, D: water, n = 25; ethanol, n = 25). An increased number of interactions and increased length at apical dendrites 40–60 µm and 60–80 µm away from the soma, respectively, was observed in ethanol consumers compared with controls. For basal dendrites, increased branching and length were found over a range of dendrites that were between 40 and 100 µm away from the soma following long-term ethanol consumption. E, F, Representative traces of mPFC LVPNs from water-consuming (E) and ethanol-consuming (F) groups. Two-way ANOVAs with Bonferroni post-tests, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001. Scale bars, 100 μm.