Abstract
Male rats were undernourished for various lengths of time between birth and 150 days of age, with some rats being nutritionally rehabilitated between 75 and 150 days of age. Eight control and eight experimental rats were anaesthetised and perfused with 2.5% glutaraldehyde at each of 21, 75 and 150 days of age. Stereological procedures were used to estimate granule-to-Purkinje cell ratios in lobes IV, V and VI, using 0.5 micron thick toluidine blue-stained sections. Undernourished rats had significantly lower body and cerebellar weights than controls at all ages examined. These deficits persisted even after a period of nutritional rehabilitation. The granule-to-Purkinje cells ratio did not differ between control and experimental groups at 21 or 75 days of age. However, at 150 days both undernourished and rehabilitated groups of animals had significant deficits in this ratio compared with age-matched controls. These results suggest that undernutrition can have profound effects on brain development in later life even if the effects are not apparent during the period of undernutrition.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Ahmed M. G., Bedi K. S., Warren M. A., Kamel M. M. Effects of a lengthy period of undernutrition from birth and subsequent nutritional rehabilitation on the synapse: granule cell neuron ratio in the rat dentate gyrus. J Comp Neurol. 1987 Sep 1;263(1):146–158. doi: 10.1002/cne.902630113. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Altman J., McCrady B. The influence of nutrition on neural and behavioral development. IV. Effects of infantile undernutrition on the growth of the cerebellum. Dev Psychobiol. 1972;5(2):111–122. doi: 10.1002/dev.420050204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Barnes D., Altman J. Effects of two levels of gestational-lactational undernutrition on the postweaning growth of the rat cerebellum. Exp Neurol. 1973 Mar;38(3):420–428. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(73)90164-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bedi K. S., Hall R., Davies C. A., Dobbing J. A stereological analysis of the cerebellar granule and Purkinje cells of 30-day-old and adult rats undernourished during early postnatal life. J Comp Neurol. 1980 Oct 15;193(4):863–870. doi: 10.1002/cne.901930404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Branes D., Altman J. Effects of different schedules of early undernutrition on the preweaning growth of the rat cerebellum. Exp Neurol. 1973 Mar;38(3):406–419. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(73)90163-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clos J., Favre C., Selme-Matrat M., Legrand J. Effects of undernutrition on cell formation in the rat brain and specially on cellular composition of the cerebellum. Brain Res. 1977 Mar 4;123(1):13–26. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(77)90640-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Dobbing J., Hopewell J. W., Lynch A. Vulnerability of developing brain. VII. Permanent deficit of neurons in cerebral and cerebellar cortex following early mild undernutrition. Exp Neurol. 1971 Sep;32(3):439–447. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(71)90010-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hillman D. E., Chen S. Vulnerability of cerebellar development in malnutrition-I. Quantitation of layer volume and neuron numbers. Neuroscience. 1981;6(7):1249–1262. doi: 10.1016/0306-4522(81)90185-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McConnell P., Berry M. The effect of refeeding after neonatal starvation on Purkinje cell dendritic growth in the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1978 Apr 15;178(4):759–772. doi: 10.1002/cne.901780410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McConnell P., Berry M. The effects of refeeding after varying periods of neonatal undernutrition on the morphology of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1981 Aug 20;200(4):463–479. doi: 10.1002/cne.902000402. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- McConnell P., Berry M. The effects of undernutrition on Purkinje cell dendritic growth in the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1978 Jan 1;177(1):159–171. doi: 10.1002/cne.901770111. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Neville H. E., Chase H. P. Undernutrition and cerebellar development. Exp Neurol. 1971 Dec;33(3):485–497. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(71)90120-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Spurr A. R. A low-viscosity epoxy resin embedding medium for electron microscopy. J Ultrastruct Res. 1969 Jan;26(1):31–43. doi: 10.1016/s0022-5320(69)90033-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]