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Analysis of Dendritic Spine Morphology in Cultured CNS Neurons
Published on: July 13, 2011
Dendritic spine pathology in infants with severe protein-calorie malnutrition
L Benítez-Bribiesca1, I De la Rosa-Alvarez, A Mansilla-Olivares
1Unidad de Investigación Médica en Enfermedades Oncológicas, Hospital de Oncología, Centro Médico Nacional S-XXI, IMSS, México, Distrito Federal, M|xico. lbenitez@starnet.net.mx
Insights
Severe infant malnutrition stunts brain development, causing shorter dendrites and fewer, abnormal dendritic spines. These structural changes in the brain may explain cognitive deficits in affected children.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pediatric Pathology
Background:
- Experimental undernutrition in animals retards brain growth and causes neuronal abnormalities, particularly in the dendritic synaptic apparatus, leading to poor neurointegrative development.
- Severe malnutrition in early human postnatal life is associated with neurointegrative disorders and mental retardation.
- Limited studies exist on the morphology of the dendritic apparatus in infants with severe malnutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the density and morphology of dendritic spines in cortical neurons of infants who succumbed to severe malnutrition.
- To compare neuronal dendritic structures between infants with severe malnutrition and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the rapid Golgi method to examine brain sections from the somatosensory, motor, and occipital cortical areas.
- Analyzed apical dendritic spines from fifth cortical layer neurons in 13 infants with severe malnutrition and 7 eutrophic controls.
Main Results:
- Malnourished infants exhibited significantly shorter apical dendrites compared to controls (581.54 ± 54.32 µm vs. 846.3 µm).
- A significant reduction in dendritic spines per dendrite was observed in malnourished infants (185.3 ± 36.1 vs. 374.3 ± 41.6).
- Marked morphologic abnormalities, classified as dysplastic, were noted in the dendritic spines of infants with severe malnutrition.
Conclusions:
- Severe infant malnutrition is characterized by shorter apical dendrites, reduced dendritic spine density, and abnormal dendritic spine morphology.
- These anatomical anomalies in neuronal structure are potential contributors to the neuropsychological deficits observed in children with severe malnutrition.
Background:
Experimental undernutrition in animals, during the critical brain development period, produces retardation of brain growth as well as a number of different morphologic and functional abnormalities in neurons, mainly in the dendritic synaptic apparatus. These alterations are the cause of the poor neurointegrative development that occurs in experimental malnutrition. Severe malnutrition during early postnatal life in humans is known to produce similar neurointegrative disorders as well as mental retardation, but there are very few studies describing the morphology of the dendritic apparatus in infants suffering from this condition.
Objective:
To study the dendritic spine density and morphology in dendrites from cortical neurons in infants dying from severe malnutrition.
Methodology:
Brain sections from the somestesic, motor, and occipital cortical areas of 13 infants who died of severe malnutrition and 7 eutrophic infants who died of other causes were studied by means of the rapid Golgi method. Apical dendritic spines from neurons of the fifth cortical layer were studied and counted in all sections.
Results:
Apical dendrites were significantly shorter in malnourished infants than in the control group (581.54 +/- 54.32 microm in severe malnutrition vs 846.3 microm in normal infants). The number of dendritic spines per dendrite was also significantly diminished (185.3 +/- 36.1 in malnourished vs 374.3 +/- 41.6 in eutrophic infants). There were marked morphologic abnormalities in the dendritic spines of infants dying of severe malnutrition that were classified as dysplastic.
Conclusions:
Short apical dendrites, fewer spines, and dendritic spine abnormalities occur in severe infant malnutrition. These anatomic anomalies might be related to the neuropsychological deficits that occur in these children.
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