Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 8, 2026
Enhancing the Development and Growth of Infant Cerebral Palsy Rats Using Selective Spinal Manipulations
Published on: February 2, 2024
Perinatal undernutrition associated to experimental model of cerebral palsy increases adverse effects on chewing in
Diego Cabral Lacerda1, Kelli Nogueira Ferraz-Pereira2, Diego Bulcão Visco3
1Post Graduate Program in Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil.
Insights
Perinatal undernutrition worsens chewing impairments in rats with experimental cerebral palsy (CP). This nutritional deficit intensifies deficits in sensorimotor function and muscle characteristics crucial for chewing.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) can impact sensorimotor functions.
- Perinatal nutrition plays a critical role in neurodevelopment.
- The combined effects of CP and undernutrition on chewing are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of perinatal undernutrition on the chewing sensorimotor pattern in an experimental model of cerebral palsy (CP) in rats.
- To assess how undernutrition exacerbates CP-related deficits in chewing function and muscle properties.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a rat model combining perinatal anoxia and sensorimotor restriction to induce experimental CP.
- Compared four groups: Nourished/Control, Nourished/CP, Undernourished/Control, and Undernourished/CP.
- Evaluated body weight, milk intake, post-weaning food consumption, chewing parameters, intra-oral sensitivity, and masseter/digastric muscle properties.
Main Results:
- Undernourished CP rats exhibited significant reductions in body weight, post-weaning food intake, and chewing cycle frequency.
- These rats also showed decreased duration of taste reactions and altered muscle properties, including reduced masseter muscle weight and a lower proportion of type IIB fibers.
- Perinatal undernutrition significantly intensified the negative effects of experimental CP on chewing function and muscle morphology.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal undernutrition exacerbates the sensorimotor deficits associated with experimental cerebral palsy in rats.
- The combined condition leads to more severe impairments in chewing efficiency, intra-oral processing, and masticatory muscle development.
- Findings highlight the critical role of adequate perinatal nutrition in mitigating functional deficits in neurological conditions like CP.
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of perinatal undernutrition on the sensorimotor pattern of chewing in rats submitted to cerebral palsy experimental model. A total of 60 male Wistar rats were randomly distributed into four groups: Nourished/Control (NC, n=15), Nourished/Cerebral Palsy (NCP, n=15); Undernourished/Control (UC, n=15) and Undernourished/Cerebral Palsy (UCP, n=15). Animals of cerebral palsy (CP) group were subjected to an experimental model based on the combination of perinatal anoxia associated with sensorimotor restriction of the hindlimb. In the rats were evaluated body weight gain, intake of breast milk, feed post-weaning consumption, parameters of the chewing, intra-oral sensitivity and muscle properties (muscle weight and distribution of types of fibers) of the masseter and digastric. Animals from undernourished CP group showed greater reduction in most data evaluated including body weight (P<0.05), food intake post-weaning (P<0.05), frequency of chewing cycles (P<0.05), duration of the reactions of "taste" (P<0.05), muscle weight and decrease of the proportion of type IIB fibers in the masseter muscle (P<0.05). These results demonstrated in rats submitted a cerebral palsy that perinatal undernutrition intensifies the damage in morphological and functional parameters of chewing.
