A quantitative assessment of the development of synapses and neurons in the visual cortex of control and undernourished rats

Abstract

Male rats undernourished from the 18th day of gestation until 100 days of age were nutritionally rehabilitated until 200 days of age. Six control and six experimental rats at each of 12, 25, 50, 100, and 200 days of age were killed by perfusion with buffered 2.5% glutaraldehyde. Pieces of visual cortex from each rat were postfixed in osmium tetroxide and embedded in resin. Stereological procedures at the light and electron microscope levels were used to estimate the synapse-to-neuron ratios in cortical layers II to IV. There were no statistically significant differences in the synapse-to-neuron ratio between control and undernourished rats at 12, 25, and 50 days of age. However 100-day-old undernourished rats had a significant deficit in this ratio compared to age-matched controls. Despite this, 200-day-old nutritionally rehabilitated rats were found to have, on average, 23% more synapses per neuron than controls. In both the control and the undernourished groups the synapse-to-neuron ratio increased to a peak by 50 days of age. This was followed by a significant fall in the ratio by 100 days of age. Although there was no further change in the control rats, the experimental group showed a substantial increase in the ratio by 200 days of age. This latter increase appeared to be related to the period of nutritional rehabilitation.