Cola nitida is one of the species of kola nut which possess stimulatory properties. It is used as a masticatory stimulant by Africans and has numerous uses in social, religious, ritual and ceremonial functions by the natives in the forest region of Africa. In this study, the effects of ethanolic extract of Cola nitida were evaluated on the cerebellum of wistar rats. Fifteen Wistar rats were used for this experiment. Group1 was the control that received distilled water only while groups II and III received 100mg/kg and 150mg/kg respectively of ethanolic extract of Cola nitida for duration of fourteen (14) days. The Wistar rats were sacrificed using chloroform and the brain was dissected. The dissected brain was fixed in Bouin’s fluid, processed and stained in Haematoxyline and Eosin. Histological observations showed neuro-degeneration in the cerebellum of the Cola nitida treatment groups when compared with the control group that showed normal histological features. Based on our observations, it is therefore concluded that ethonolic extract of Cola nitida had neurodegenerative effects on the cerebellum of Wistar rats which is more pronounced at high dose; hence, caution should be taken in its usage.
