A complex program of environmental and sensory stimulation was developed to study its potential effects in reversing some of the alterations produced by early protein malnutrition in the brain and behavior of rats. Litters (dam plus 6 male pups) were fed diets containing 8% (malnourished) or 25% (well-nourished) casein. After weaning, the animals were maintained on the same diets as their respective dams until 50 days of age. Environmental stimulation consisted of 3-min daily handling from birth to 50 days of age. Additional stimulation was provided from birth to 50 days of age by rearing the rats in an enriched living cage and exposing the animals to visual, auditory and olfactory stimuli. At 50 days of age the animals were submitted to locomotor and inhibitory avoidance tests. Animals of the same age were sacrificed, the brain removed and divided in telencephalon, brain steam and cerebellum. DNA and RNA were assessed in telencephalon and cerebellum. Protein malnutrition produced brain weight deficits that were partially reversed by environmental stimulation. DNA and RNA levels were reduced by protein malnutrition and increased by environmental stimulation. The behavioral measures showed lower locomotor activity and higher latencies in inhibitory avoidance for malnourished animals as compared to well-nourished animals. Environmental stimulation reduced the aversiveness in the inhibitory avoidance test as showed by lower latencies in the stimulated group of animals. These results suggest that early protein malnutrition impairs brain and behavior of rats and that a complex program of environmental stimulation is beneficial to reverse some of those impairments.
A complex program of environmental and sensory stimulation was developed to study its potential effects in reversing some of the alterations produced by early protein malnutrition in the brain and behavior of rats. Litters (dam plus 6 male pups) were fed diets containing 8% (malnourished) or 25% (well-nourished) casein. After weaning, the animals were maintained on the same diets as their respective dams until 50 days of age. Environmental stimulation consisted of 3-min daily handing from birth to 50 days of age by rearing the rats in an enriched living cage and exposing the animal to visual, auditory, and olfactory stimuli. At. 50 days of inhibitory avoidance tests. Animal of the same age were sacrificed, the brain removed and divided in telencephalon, brain steam and cerebellum. DNA and RNA were assessed in in telencephalon and cerebellum. Protein malnutrition produced brain weight deficits that were partially reversed by environmental stimulation. The behavioral measure showed lower locomotor activity and higher latencies in inhibitory avoidance for malnourished animals as compared to well-nourished animals. Environmental stimulation reduced the aversiveness in the inhibitory avoidance test as showed by lower latencies in the stimulated group of animals. These results suggest that early protein malnutrition impairs brain and behavior of rats and a complex program of environmental stimulation is beneficial to reverse some of those impairments. Keywords: Protein malnutrition, Environmental enrichment, Brain weight, Locomotor activity, Inhibitory avoidance.
There is evidence that the auditory evoked potential (AEP) is altered by malnutrition both in laboratory animals and in humans. The objective of the present study was to determine whether changes in the AEP caused by malnutrition could be reversed by nutritional rehabilitation and sensorymotor and environmental stimulation during hospitalization. Six children aged 5-33 months with severe malnutrition (kwashiorkor, marasmus and marasmic-kwashiorkor) were admitted to the Pediatric Ward of a University Hospital. Normal age and sex-matched children from the hospital day-care center were enrolled as a control group. The AEP was tested in an electrically and acoustically isolated room using a Nicolet CA 2000 microcomputer. Clicks of 90; 80; 70 and 60 dBn HL were presented through earphones. The results suggest that malnutrition leads to an increase in wave I latencies in patients with marasmus, and in waves I, III and V in those with kwashiorkor or marasmic-kwashiorkor type at 90 dB HL. At discharge, all but one patient with kwashiorkor showed reduced latencies of waves I, III and V compared to the values on admission. Despite the small sample, these preliminary results pointed out that the process of sensory stimulation used in our study in a properly directed, systematic and individualized manner showed encouraging results in terms of AEP recovery in these children.
There is evidence that the auditory evoked potential (AEP) is altered by malnutrition both in laboratory animals and in humans. The objective of the present study was to determine whether changes in the AEP caused by malnutrition could be reversed by nutritional rehabilitation and sensorymotor and environmental stimulation during hospitalization. Six children aged 5-33 months with severe malnutrition (kwashiorkor, marasmus and marasmic-kwashiorkor) were admitted to the Pediatric Ward of a University Hospital. Normal age and sex-matched children from the hospital day-care center were enrolled as a control group. The AEP was tested in an electrically and acoustically isolated room using a Nicolet CA 2000 microcomputer. Clicks of 90; 80; 70 and 60 dBn HL were presented through earphones. The results suggest that malnutrition leads to an increase in wave I latencies in patients with marasmus, and in waves I, III and V in those with kwashiorkor or marasmic-kwashiorkor type at 90 dB HL. At discharge, all but one patient with kwashiorkor showed reduced latencies of waves I, III and V compared to the values on admission. Despite the small sample, these preliminary results pointed out that the process of sensory stimulation used in our study in a properly directed, systematic and individualized manner showed encouraging results in terms of AEP recovery in these children.
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