The effects of refeeding after varying periods of neonatal undernutrition on the morphology of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of the rat

Abstract

Undernutrition of the rat for the first 30 days of postnatal life is known to permanently alter Purkinje cell (PC) dendritic morphology. The effects of earlier nutritional rehabilitation have not previously been determined. Neonatal rat pups were undernourished by limiting their access to the lactating dam. After 10, 15, or 20 days of food restriction, animals were either killed for histological comparison with normally fed controls, or provided with ad libitum food until 80 dpp, and then killed. Network analysis of Golgi Cox impregnated PCs from the undernourished animals revealed alterations in dendritic length, segment frequency, and branching pattern, which first became apparent at 15 dpp, accompanied by a reduction in the number of granule cells (GCs) per PC. If undernourished animals were refed from 10 or 15 days, however, the total lengths and segment frequencies of their PC trees were indistinguishable from those of controls at 80 dpp, although the 15-day group showed persistent topological alterations. The GC:PC ratios of these refed groups were also found to be similar to those of the controls. In animals refed after 20 days of undernutrition, network size remained reduced, as did the GC:PC ratio. The different degrees of recovery of PC dendritic field parameters recorded in the refed animals could be related either to enhanced GC replication afforded by refeeding, or to the existence of intrinsic mechanisms which limit the growth capacity of the PC dendrites.