Different types of nutritional deficiencies affect different domains of spatial memory function checked in a radial arm maze

doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.01.002

Neuroscience

Volume 152, Issue 4, 9 April 2008, Pages 859-866

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.01.002 Get rights and content

Abstract

Several studies using animal models have suggested that the effects of nutritional insult on the developing brain are long-lasting and lead to permanent deficits in learning and behavior. Malnutrition can refer to the availability of all the nutrients but in insufficient quantities or it may imply that one or more of essential nutrients is either missing or is present, but in the wrong proportions in the diet. The hypothesis addressed in this study is that different domains of cognitive functioning can be affected by malnutrition and this can be related to the type of nutritional deficiency that the brain has been exposed to during development. To study the effect of nutritional deprivation during brain development, a paradigm of maternal malnutrition during the period of gestation and lactation was used and its effects were studied on the F1 offspring using Swiss albino mice. Three different types of malnutrition were used, that involve, caloric restriction, inadequate amount of protein in the diet and condition of low iron content. Our results show that the domain of spatial memory affected in the F1 generation depended on the kind of malnutrition that the mother was subjected to. Further our study shows that although hippocampal volume was reduced in all F1 pups, hippocampal subregions of the F1 animals were differentially vulnerable depending on type of malnutrition that the mother was subjected to. These results highlight the importance of qualifying the kind of malnutrition that is suffered by the mother during the period of gestation and lactation as it has consequences for the cognitive domain affected in the offspring. Awareness of this should inform prevention strategies in trying to reverse the effects of adverse maternal nutrition during critical periods in brain development.

Section snippets

Generation of deficient animals

Swiss albino female mice 6–8 weeks old were taken from inbreed colony at National Brain Research Centre. The females were given either control feed [starch (50%), sucrose (8%), casein (24.2%), cellulose (6%), refined groundnut oil (7%), mineral mixture (3.5%), vitamin (1%), l-cystine (0.3%)] (group 1/control) or the iron deficient feed [skim milk powder (55%), sucrose (33%), groundnut oil (5%), salt mixture (4%), vitamin mixture (1%), cellulose (2%), methionine (2%)] (group 2/iron deficient) or

Effect of maternal malnutrition on the weights of the F1 pups

The decrement in the weights of all the F1 pups which was monitored before and during the RAM training did not show statistically significant difference between the groups. Ten days before trial started all the malnourished groups had lower body weights compared with control, however, during the “weight reduction” period before RAM training all the groups showed an even decrease in their body weights. Therefore during the pre-training and trial period all the groups had weights comparable to

Discussion

This study looks at the effect of maternal malnutrition during a critical period in brain development. Any perturbation during this period of development has the capacity to modulate the development of nervous system and is likely to have long lasting effects that continue throughout the life of an individual. Nutritional insults are not usually associated with gross anatomical defects but can lead to reduction in regional brain volumes that can be associated with long-term cognitive

Conclusion

In conclusion, our study highlights the long lasting effect of brain development under conditions of maternal malnourishment. Further, it emphasizes the importance of defining the type of nutritional deficiency that the mother was subjected to during the gestation and lactation period. Finally, it demonstrates that functional pathways are differentially vulnerable to nutritional status during the development of the brain. Unraveling the specific developmental pathways that are affected by

Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Shikha Yadav for expert assistance with care of the experimental animals. We also thank Dr. Kalyansunderam from the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India for preparation of the different types of animal feeds as per our specifications. We thank Dr. Neeraj Jain, National Brain Research Centre, India with help with the Neuroleucida and Neuroexplorer programs. This work was supported by an Indo-French ICMR-INSERM grant award (P.G. and S.M.) and by the post-doctoral

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Behavioural neuroscienceDifferent types of nutritional deficiencies affect different domains of spatial memory function checked in a radial arm maze

Abstract

Section snippets

Generation of deficient animals

Effect of maternal malnutrition on the weights of the F1 pups

Discussion

Conclusion

Acknowledgments

Behav Biol

Pediatr Neurol

Neurosci Biobehav Rev

J Nutr

J Neurosci Methods

Working memory

Decreased benzodiazepine receptor binding in prefrontal cortex in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder

Am J Psychiatry

Everyday memory and cognitive ability in children born very prematurely

J Child Psychol Psychiatry

Development of cortical circuitry and cognitive function

Child Dev