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Effect of perinatal iron deficiency on myelination and associated behaviors in rat pups
Ling-Ling Wu1, Li Zhang, Jie Shao
1Department of Child Health Care, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Insights
Perinatal iron deficiency in rats significantly impairs brain myelination and leads to behavioral deficits. These findings highlight the critical role of iron during early development for neural and behavioral outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Early-life iron deficiency is linked to irreversible brain myelination changes.
- The behavioral consequences of these neural alterations are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if gestational and lactational iron deficiency affects brain myelination and behavior in rats.
- To determine the impact of iron deficiency on oligodendrocyte marker density and specific reflexes and cognitive tasks.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats were fed either iron-sufficient or iron-deficient diets from gestation day 5 through weaning.
- Brain myelination was assessed using 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNPase) density in specific brain regions at 25 days of age.
- Behavioral tests included surface righting reflex, negative geotaxis, forelimb placing, and novel object recognition.
Main Results:
- Iron-deficient (ID) rats exhibited significantly lower CNPase density in subcortical white matter compared to controls.
- CNPase density in the hippocampus fimbria was comparable between ID and control rats.
- ID rats demonstrated significant impairments in multiple behavioral assessments, including reflexes and a novel object recognition task.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal iron deficiency can induce significant behavioral alterations in rats.
- These behavioral changes may be attributed to delayed myelination in specific brain regions.
- The study underscores the critical role of iron during early development for normal brain maturation and function.
Abstract:
Iron deficiency in early development has been associated with irreversible alterations in brain myelination, but whether these neural changes are mirrored in altered behaviors in rats is not known. The goals were to determine if dietary induced gestational and lactational iron deficiency alters brain myelination and behaviors dependent on that system. Pregnant rats were randomly assigned to control (CN) or iron-deficient (ID) groups by providing iron-sufficient (40 ppm Fe) or iron-deficient (2-6 ppm Fe) diets from gestational day 5 through to weaning of pups. Thereafter, all offspring were fed the iron-sufficient diet. The myelination of subcortical white matter and the fimbria of hippocampus was measured by 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNPase, marker of oligodendrocyte) density at 25 days of age. Specific behavioral assessments were performed at multiple time points after birth. By contrast, ID rats had significantly lower density of CNPase in the subcortical white matter but the density of CNPase in fimbria of hippocampus was comparable to CN rats. Moreover, ID rats showed significant behavioral impairments in surface righting reflex, negative geotaxis reflex, vibrissae-evoked forelimb placing test and novel object recognition task. In conclusion, perinatal iron deficiency can significantly alter behavioral outcomes which may be due to delayed myelination in specific brain regions.
