Myelination Studied by Quantitative Determination of Myelin Lipids

Edgar, G. W. F.

doi:10.1159/000141124

Cited by 25 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The total amount of phospholipid per gram of brain has been shown to increase during the maturation of the central nervous system in rats (Brante, 1949), human beings (Brante, 1949), mice (Folch, 1955) and rabbits (Edgar, 1957a). Our results are in agreement with this, and they show that in rabbits the increase in the phospholipid content of the brain begins well before birth.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

The effect of thyroid deficiency on the growth of the brain and on the deposition of brain phospholipids in foetal and new‐born rabbits

Cuarón¹,

Gamble²,

Myant³

et al. 1963

The Journal of Physiology

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It has been suggested that lack of thyroid hormone during foetal life contributes to the mal-development of the brains of cretinous infants. It has not been easy to get direct evidence for this view, not only because of the difficulty of obtaining brain tissue from cretins, but also because cretinism is hardly ever diagnosed before the infant is several weeks old. There is, however, some evidence that in cretinism due to congenital aplasia of the thyroid the brain is histologically abnormal at or near the time of birth (Wilkins, 1957).The possibility that thyroid hormone may be necessary for normal development of the mammalian brain in utero, as well as during postnatal life, led us to study the effect of thyroid deficiency on the growth of the brain in rabbits during the later stages of foetal life and the first few days after birth. Our results are described in this paper.It seemed possible that if thyroid deficiency in utero was found to influence the development of the brain, this might be due to interference with the synthesis of some essential constituent of the brain. We have therefore begun a study of the deposition of phospholipid in the developing brains of normal and thyroid-deficient rabbits. Preliminary results of this work are included here. METHODSAll the rabbits used for analysis of phospholipid in the brain were of the Dutch strain. In addition to these, a few rabbits of mixed strain were included for the observations on body weight and brain weight. The animals were given a diet of dried pellets (M.R.C. Diet No. 18, described by Bruce & Parkes, 1946). Methyl-thiouracil was given from the 10th day of pregnancy until the end of the experiment, either in the drinking water (0-2 %) or by mixing it with the food (0 1 %). Radioactive orthophosphate (carrier-free 32p, 100-300 luc) was given by injection into the muscle of the hind limb. Foetuses were removed by Caesarean section after anaesthetizing the mother with intravenous pentobarbitone (40 mg/kg i.v.). In some experiments the whole litter was removed on the appropriate day. In others, two or three foetuses were taken at the same time and the uterus and abdominal * British Council Scholar, 1959-60.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%