S. Diazcintra et al., EFFECTS OF PRENATAL MALNUTRITION AND POSTNATAL NUTRITIONAL REHABILITATION ON CA3 HIPPOCAMPAL PYRAMIDAL CELLS IN RATS OF 4 AGES, Brain research, 662(1-2), 1994, pp. 117-126
The effects of prenatal protein malnutrition and postnatal nutritional
rehabilitation on CA3 hippocampal pyramidal cells were investigated i
n rats of 15, 30, 90 and 220 days of age. Female rats were fed either
6% or 25% casein diet 5 weeks before conception. Following delivery, l
itters born the same day to 6% and 25% casein diet rats were randomly
cross-fostered to 25% casein diet dams and maintained on that diet unt
il sacrificed. In 288 rapid-Golgi impregnated cells, we measured somal
size, length of the longest apical dendrite, number of apical and bas
al dendrites intersecting 10 concentric rings 38 mu m apart, synaptic
spine density in three 50 mu m segments of the largest apical dendrite
and the thorny excrescence area. Prenatal protein malnutrition produc
ed differential morphological changes on CA3 pyramidal cells. We obser
ved significant decreases of somal size (at 90 and 220 days of age), o
f length of apical dendrites (at 15 days old), of apical (in 15 day an
imals) and basal (in 15, 90 and 220 day animals) dendritic branching a
nd of spine density (in 30, 90 and 220 day animals). We also found sig
nificant increases of apical dendritic branching in 90 and 220 day old
rats. These results indicate that prenatal protein malnutrition affec
ts normal development and produces long-term effects on CA3 pyramidal
cells.