Effects of chronic choline and lecithin on mouse hippocampal dendritic spine density

Dendritic spines, which project from the dendrites of central neurons, are thought to contribute to the amount of contact area available for synaptic connections. The density of these spines has been found to correlate with learning and memory function, and there is a progressive decrease in dendritic spine density with aging. In addition, experimental animals given a choline-enriched diet have an increase in neocortical spine density compared to controls. In this study, the dendritic spine density of hippocampal pyramidal cells was examined in aged mice which had received life-long choline enriched, choline deficient or lecithin enriched diets. These treatments had no effect on hippocampal dendritic spine density compared to control. The results indicate that dietary supplementation may have different effects in different brain areas and that the relative increase in learning and memory function in aged animals given a choline or lecithin enriched diet is not due to an increase in hippocampal dendritic spine density.