MALNUTRITION AND REACTIVITY TO DRUGS ACTING IN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM

There is a well-established body of data demonstrating that protein or protein-calorie malnutrition experienced early in life is associated with neuroanatomical, neurochemical, as well as behavioral alterations in both animals and humans. A number of studies has focused on the fo llowing question: are the neuroanatomical and/or neurochemical changes produced by early malnutrition responsible for the altered behaviors reported in malnourished animals? A tool that has been used to help an swer this question is the administration of drugs with specific action s in the various neurotransmitter systems in the central nervous syste m (CNS). This neuropharmacological approach has produced a considerabl e amount of data demonstrating that malnourished animals react to drug s differently from controls, suggesting that the altered behavioral ex pression of these animals could be partly explained by the alterations in the brain function following malnutrition. The present review will provide an overview of the literature investigating the reactivity of malnourished animals to psychoactive drugs acting through GABAergic, catecholaminergic, serotonergic, opioid and cholinergic neurotransmitt er systems. Altered responsiveness to psychoactive drugs in malnourish ed animals may be especially relevant to understanding the consequence s of malnutrition in human populations. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd.