Myelination as a Vulnerable Period in Brain Development

Davison, A. N.; Dobbing, John

doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a070434

Cited by 367 publications

(105 citation statements)

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“…This mutation apparently involves the process of myelin formation, I n man, myelination begins before birth and goes on until well after birth [3]. In rats [5] and mice, myelination is not initiated until 8 to lodays after birth [4] ; there is a particularly active phase from the 10th to the 21st day [3] and it stops around the 50th day [4].…”

Section: __-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatty Acid and Lipid Composition of the Brain of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the "Quaking" Mouse

et al. 1968

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The "Quaking" mouse is a recessive autosomal mutant characterized by a deficient myelination of the central nervous system.The disease is recognized at about the twelfth day after birth and reaches its full expression by about three weeks. The animal has an unsteady gait and a marked tremor of the hind quarters; epileptic fits are induced by sensory stimulations a t the adult age. This mutation apparently involves the process of myelin formation; there is no evidence of destruction. The analysis of brain fatty acids and lipids was undertaken to find out if the inyelin deficiency involves an inborn error in the metabolism of one of its major constituents. "Quaking" males aged from seven to ten weeks were compared to apparently normal litter-mates. At this stage, myelination is achieved. Brain lipids are diminished, especially galactolipids. Qualitative modifications of cerebrosides, sphingomyelin and sulphatides have been detected by mono and two dimensional thin layer chromatography. The proportion of long chain fatty acids (especially CZ4) is greatly diminished, as shown by gas chromatography. This is true for both cerebrosides and sphingomyelin.I n conclusion, the long chain fatty acids of galactolipids and sphingomyelin are considerably diminished in the "Quaking" mouse. Whether it is a cause or a consequence of myelination deficiency remains to be proved, although the importance of the alteration is in favour of the first hypothesis.Sidman et al. [I] were the first to describe the recessive and autosomal "Quaking" mutation observed in 1961 at the Jackson Laboratory[2] in strain DBA of the black mouse. It is characterized by an impairment in myelin formation of the central nervous system.The disease is recognized at about the twelfth day after birth and reaches its full expression by about three weeks. The animal has an unsteady gait and a marked tremor of the hind quarters; epileptic fits are induced by sensory stimulations at the adult age.The entire central nervous system is considerably deficient in myelin [l]; however, some fragments of myelin are present in almost all tracts. There is no evidence of destruction, no globoid cells, no metachromatic lipids and no inflammation ; the neurons, the axons, the glial cells appear normal, as well as myelin of the peripheral nervous system.Non-Standard Abbreviations. Fatty acids are identified by the carbon number and number of double bonds (18:O = stearic acid); h indicates the presence of a 2-hydroxy group.

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Section: __-mentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatty Acid and Lipid Composition of the Brain of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the "Quaking" Mouse

et al. 1968

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“…In a series of pioneering investigations (Widdowson, 1966, Dobbing, 1964, Davison and Dobbing, 1966 have demonstrated that both severe and modest degrees of nutritional deprivation experienced by the animal at a time when its nervous system was developing most rapidly results in reduced brain size and in deficient myelination. These deficits are not made up in later life even when the animal has been placed on an excellent diet subsequent to the period of nutritional deprivation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Malnutrition, learning, and intelligence.

Birch¹

1972

Am J Public Health

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What we actually know about the relation of malnutrition to intellect and learning, and what is the significance of this knowledge for psychology and education? What are the implications of this evidence for improved functioning? This paper is addressed to these questions and indicates that nutritional factors at a number of different levels contribute to depressed intellectual level and learning failure. These factors are discussed in a social context.

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“…This is not the case with the maturing brain of animals 122-241 where cholesterol esters appear just before the layering of the first myelin sheath [25].…”

Section: Cholesterol and Cholesterol Estersmentioning

confidence: 95%

Brain Lipid Analysis of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the “Quaking” Mouse

Jacque

Harpin

Baumann

1969

European Journal of Biochemistry

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The "Quaking" mouse is a mutant which has a n inherited disease involving the process of myelination in the central nervous system.Fractionation of brain lipids and fatty acid methyl ester analysis of each lipid isolated have been performed. No qualitative abnormalities have been detected, either in ethanolamine, serine and choline phosphoglycerides, or in cholesterol. Proof has now been obtained that the considerable reduction in long chain fatty acids (C2J, occurs in cerebrosides, sulphatides (where they are normally major constituents) and in sphingomyelin. Long chain hydroxylated fatty acids are comparatively less diminished than non-hydroxylated one. This metabolic defect, detected in all the sphingolipids that contain this type of fatty acids could be in favour of a mutation related t o fatty acid elongation which is very important a t the time of myelin formation.The "Quaking" mouse [I] is a mutant characterized by a deficient myelination of the central nervous system.It is a recessive and autosomal mutation which is recognized around the 12th day after birth when myelin formation which normally starts around the 8th day after birth, would be normally in its fully active phase [ 2 , 3 ] .We have shown in a previous publication [4] that the adult "Quaking" mouse aged from seven t o ten weeks has only 65 t o 70 O

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Myelination as a Vulnerable Period in Brain Development

Cited by 367 publications

References 0 publications

Fatty Acid and Lipid Composition of the Brain of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the "Quaking" Mouse

Fatty Acid and Lipid Composition of the Brain of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the "Quaking" Mouse

Malnutrition, learning, and intelligence.

Brain Lipid Analysis of a Myelin Deficient Mutant, the “Quaking” Mouse

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