Sections comprising mPFC from the naive, naive-trained, nondependent and alcohol-dependent animals (Set I, brain tissue collected on day 77) were processed and examined for changes in cell death (apoptosis; AC-3-IR cells, Fig 2b), proliferation (Ki-67-IR cells (Bacchi and Gown, 1993), Fig 2a), and survival (Set II, Brdu injected on day 77 and brain tissue collected on day 96; BrdU-IR cells, Fig 2c). Four bilateral sections (bregma 3.7-2.2, Fig 3a) from each rat were used for cell quantification analysis. There were approximately 0-3 AC-3-IR cells, 50-60 Ki-67-IR cells, and 25-30 BrdU-IR cells in each bilateral brain section analyzed from control rats. Training for the sweetened solution fading procedure did not alter apoptosis. Nondependent drinking and alcohol-dependent animals showed a significant decrease in apoptosis compared with drug-naive and trained controls (F3,17 = 9.26, p < 0.01, Fig 3b). Training for the sweetened solution fading procedure did not alter proliferation. Nondependent drinking did not produce a significant change in proliferation compared with drug-naive and trained controls (p > 0.05), whereas alcohol dependence decreased proliferation compared with drug-naive and trained controls (F3,17 = 16.71,
