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Published on: November 20, 2015
Effects of prenatal protein malnutrition on the electrical cerebral activity during development
V De Frías1, O Varela, J J Oropeza
1Physiology Department, School of Medicine José Maria Vargas, Central University of Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. vdefrias@gmail.com
Insights
Prenatal protein malnutrition in Sprague-Dawley rats impairs progeny
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Early life nutrition significantly impacts central nervous system development.
- Prenatal protein restriction is a critical factor affecting neurodevelopmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of early prenatal protein malnutrition on the electrical cerebral activity of rat progeny.
- To determine if nutritional rehabilitation post-weaning can reverse these effects.
Main Methods:
- Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, protein-malnourished, and rehabilitated groups.
- Electroencephalograms (EEGs) were analyzed using power spectral analysis at postnatal days 20 and 60.
- Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA and Tukey's test.
Main Results:
- Prenatal protein malnutrition significantly altered EEG power spectra in progeny.
- Reduced alpha and beta band activity and increased theta and delta band activity were observed.
- Rehabilitation did not reverse the observed impairments in electrical cerebral activity.
Conclusions:
- Early prenatal protein malnutrition disrupts the ontogeny of electrical brain activity.
- This disruption may stem from impaired establishment of cortical neural circuits during critical developmental periods.
- Nutritional rehabilitation after weaning is insufficient to correct prenatal malnutrition-induced neurophysiological deficits.
Abstract:
Early protein restriction during the prenatal period has significant repercussions on the ontogeny and development of the central nervous system. The present study investigates whether early prenatal protein malnutrition could alter the electrical cerebral activity of the progeny. We used Sprague-Dawley female rats of 200 g randomly divided into three groups: a control group that received a diet with 25% of the protein content (lactalbumin), the experimental group, that received a diet with 6% of the protein content and the rehabilitated group that initially received a diet with 6% of the protein content, then switched to a diet with 25% of the protein content after the weaning period (P20D) up to 60 days of life (P60D). Reduction of the protein content from 25% to 6% of lactalbumin in the diet of pregnant rats produces impairment in the electrical cerebral activity in the progeny at P20D and at P60D. The power spectral analysis for each one of the electroencephalograms revealed that prenatal protein malnutrition in rats produced a significant reduction of the alpha (8-13 Hz) and the beta bands (13-30 Hz) and a significant increase of the theta (4-8 Hz), and delta bands (1-4 Hz), at two different stages of life (P20D and P60D). Similar results were obtained for the rehabilitated group. These results indicate that early malnutrition in life affects the ontogeny of the electrical cerebral activity. This insult probably disrupts the establishment of cortical neural circuits during the critical period of brain development. The rehabilitation period did not revert the impairment in the electrical cerebral activity produced by malnutrition. We used one-way ANOVA analysis, followed by Tukey test (*p<0.001).
