Age and the Water Content of Rabbit Brain Parts

Abstract

The water content of whole rabbit brain was practically constant from 15 to 5 days before birth (88.5%) then decreased rapidly until the 30th antenatal day (81.2%) and subsequently fell gradually to about 3 years (78.2%). At 30 days of age the mature differences first became apparent and at 4 years the water percentages of the frontal cortex (80.8%) and caudate nucleus (79.5%) were higher than those of the superior colliculi (76.0%) and medulla oblongata (71.8%). The 4 brain areas studied in detail reveal that the older the phyletic age of a part the lower its water content.