THE EFFECT OF MALNUTRITION ON THE SYNTHESIS OF A MYELIN LIPID

Abstract

The synthesis of sulfatide, a lipid which is a component of the myelin sheath, can be used as a biochemical marker for myelin formation. Nutritional deprivation during the early life of the rat is associated with a decreased synthesis of sulfatide, as determined by both in vivo and in vitro methods. The decreased synthesis of sulfatide after a period of poor nutrition is not corrected by refeeding. These results indicate that the time of active myelin formation is a vulnerable period for the developing nervous system.