Nutritional Hydrocephalus in Infant Rats.

Abstract

Hydrocephalic male and female rats were reared to maturity and mated to each other and to normal animals. When their mothers received the stock diet, none of the young were hydrocephalic. The incidence of hydrocephalus in 1604 young from normal parents receiving a purified basal diet low in folic acid was 7.48%. This was decreased to 0.15 and 2.02% by the addition per 100 g. of diet of 100 mg. of folic acid and of 200 mg. of APF concentrate, respectively. A combination of the two supplements was no more effective than folic acid alone. None of the young from mothers receiving liver "L" was hydrocephalic. Addition of 10 mg. of a crude folic acid antagonist per kg. of diet containing 2 g. of an APF concentrate decreased the number of litters per female, but failed to increase the incidence of hydrocephalus in the young.