Effects of Neonatal Undernutrition on Development of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Pyramidal Cells in the Rat

Abstract

The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) of the ratplays a role in the encoding of neuronal signals involved in conflict-inducedbehavioral adjustment, working memory, planning and executive abilities,attentional control and other cognitive responses. In altricial species, earlyperinatal undernutrition interferes with the morphofunctional organization of anumber of central nervous system (CNS) structures including the prefrontalcortex. The effects of neonatal undernutrition on dendritic arbor density,perikaryon measurements, and the number of spines (detected by rapid-Golgi) ofbasilar dendritic segments in layer III pyramidal neurons of the dlPFC wereexamined in male Wistar rats on postnatal (PDs) 12, 20, and 30. In the underfed(U) subjects the distal portions of the dendritic arbors had a consistenthipoplasia, mainly on PD 30, with reduced cross sectional area, perimeter, andspine densities on the basilar dendrites on all days studied. Thus, thealterations of the dlPFC pyramidal neurons may interfere with the plasticsynaptic activity and cognitive performance of rats subjected to the stress ofearly underfeeding. Characterizing these anatomical alterations may help tounderstand the disrupted cognitive processes associated with neonatalundernutrition.