Effects of prenatal protein malnutrition on mossy fibers of the hippocampal formation in rats of four age groups

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of prenatal protein deprivation on the postnatal development of the mossy fiber plexus of the hippocampal formation on postnatal (P) days 15, 30, 90, and 220. Although there is extensive information about the effects of malnutrition on cell body and dendrite morphology, little attention has been paid to axons or axon plexuses. The mossy fiber plexus represents the dentate gyrus granule cell axonal projection to areas CA4 and CA3 of the hippocampal formation and is readily demonstrated with Timm's heavy metal stain. With the use of this stain, the plexus was measured at 13 levels throughout the hippocampal complex. There was no effect of the diet on the anatomical distribution of the plexus. The current study, however, does show significant effects of prenatal protein malnutrition on postnatal development of the mossy fiber plexus that are age dependent. The prenatally malnourished rats show significant deficits in the total rostro-caudal extent and volume of the plexus on P15, P90, and P220, with the most marked dietary effect on P220. There was no significant diet effect on P30 in either extent or volume.

Breed-specific expression of GR exon 1 mRNA variants and profile of GR promoter CpG methylation in the hippocampus of newborn piglets

“…The structural and functional development of hippocampus is susceptible to prenatal or perinatal nutrition (Cintra et al, 1997;Morgane et al, 2002) or stress. Different strains of mice from different rearing condition and domestication background demonstrated differences in hippocampal development (Schaefers, 2013).…”

León Cintra's contribution to the field of protein malnutrition effects on sleep and the brain

“…Earlier studies by the Morgane and Galler group had shown that malnutrition induces alterations in the synaptic microarchitecture of the hippocampal circuit that is responsible for theta generation. [15][16][17] Since theta activity represents the output of the hippocampal system and thus reflects its integrity, 18 theta activity in wakefulness and for NREM and REM sleep was analyzed to document any malnutritioninduced alterations. The results obtained indicated that the theta frequency peak during wakefulness was lower in both the chronic and prenatally malnourished groups.…”

Efeitos da desnutrição protéica precoce e da estimulação ambiental em medidas bioquímicas e comportamentais em ratos

“…A literatura tem mostrado que a desnutrição pode provocar alterações no sistema nervoso central (Santucci et al, 1994;Cintra et al, 1997;Almeida et al, 1996;Morgane et al, 2002). O presente estudo mostrou que ratos submetidos à desnutrição protéica apresentaram um maior percentual de entradas e de tempo de permanência nos braços abertos do labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE), quando comparados a animais que não foram submetidos à restrição de proteína.…”

“…Em ratos, o déficit na ingestão de proteína durante o período de gestação pode resultar em atrasos no desenvolvimento físico e cerebral. (Santucci et al, 1994;Cintra et al, 1997;Almeida et al 1996;Morgane et al 2002). Na desnutrição podem ser observadas alterações bioquímicas e neurológicas (Hermel et al, 2001;Feoli et al, 2006), resultando também em alterações comportamentais (de Oliveira, 1985;Riul et al, 1999) e atrasos em funções intelectuais e cognitivas (Barnes, 1976;Brozek, 1979, 1983, Wainwright e Colombo, 2006.…”

“…Conforme o período em que a desnutrição é imposta, podem resultar em diferentes conseqüências para os organismos. No período pré-natal a desnutrição pode alterar a plasticidade hipocampal (Kehoe, 2001), a neurogênese no giro denteado, o número de espinhas sinápticas e as células granulares e piramidais da região CA1 do hipocampo (Cintra et al, 1997, Duran et al, 2006.…”