BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL CHANGES IN FOLATE-DEFICIENT MICE

Weanling mice were fed an amino acid-based diet supplemented with 0 or 11.3 mu mol folic acid/kg diet for similar to 38 days to study behavi or and neurochemistry in folate deficiency. After similar to 5 wk, mic e fed the unsupplemented diet weighed similar to 70% as much those fed the supplemented diet. After 2 wk, mice fed the unsupplemented diet c onsistently discarded (spilled) more food, and after similar to 5 wk, they had spilled 3 times more than mice fed the supplemented diet. Ser um folate, brain folate and brain S-adenosylmethionine of mice fed the unsupplemented diet were 4, 53, and 60% as high, respectively, as tho se of mice fed the supplemented diet. Pathologic changes were not evid ent in brain, spinal cord, or skeletal muscle of folate-deficient mice . The hypothalamic 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid/serotonin ratio and cau date dopamine, homovanillic acid, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid c oncentrations were lower in deficient than control mice. Folate-defici ent mice develop a behavioral activity, food spilling, which may have a neurochemical basis in the serotonin and dopamine systems.