EFFECTS OF PRENATAL MALNUTRITION AND POSTNATAL NUTRITIONAL REHABILITATION ON CA3 HIPPOCAMPAL PYRAMIDAL CELLS IN RATS OF 4 AGES

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.