Effects of early postnatal undernutrition on brainstem auditory evoked potentials in weanling rats.
The effect of early postnatal undernutrition on the development of brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) was examined using rats during the weanling period. Undernutrition was achieved by separating the suckling rats from the mother for 24 h every other day from 1 day through 10 days of age (group 1) or from 1 day through 14 days of age (group 2). Both groups were rehabilitated nutritionally after these periods. The littermates which were not separated from the mother were used as well-fed control. At 14 days of age, wave IV of BAEPs was detected in 44% of group 1 and in 69% of group 2, where it was detected in all control rats. Peak latency of wave IV and I-IV interpeak latency (IPL) of group 2 rats were significantly longer than those in control rats from 14 through 22 days of age. Similarly, those of group 1 rats were significantly longer than those in control rats at 14 and 18 days of age. At 33 days of age, there were no significant differences in terms of peak latencies (waves I, III and IV) and IPLs (I-III and I-IV) between both the undernourished groups and the control group. These results indicate that early postnatal undernutrition delays the development of BAEPs in rats transiently, and nutritional rehabilitation can make the group 'catch up' on BAEPs.
Kawai
S
S
Department of Pediatrics, Kobe University, School of Medicine, Japan.
Nakamura
H
H
Matsuo
T
T
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D001835:Body Weight; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values