Organization of olfactory glomeruli in neonatally undernourished rats.
Newborn rats maintain mother-litter bonds by using olfactory signals. At birth, units in the olfactory glomeruli (OG) are immature and vulnerable to noxious epigenetic factors like undernutrition. Because little is known about the effects of neonatal undernutrition upon the OG morphological organization, different OG parameters were studied in undernourished Wistar rats at 7, 14 and 21 days of age. The issue was addressed by analyzing the olfactory bulb (OB) cross sectional area, the total number and area of OGs in the OB coronal sections, and the distribution of OG area in dorsal and ventral quadrants. Reductions in the OB and OG cross sectional areas were detected at 7 and 14 days posnatally. OG area comparisons by OB quadrants were reduced along the study in quadrants, with larger effects in medial than in lateral OB quadrants. Current OG cytoarchitectonic modifications may affect the newborn capabilities for odour discrimination by disrupting early mother-litter interactions.
Frias
Carmen
C
Department of Developmental Neurobiology and Neurophysiology, Institute of Neurobiology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Juriquilla, Querétaro, México. maricar_sicamor@yahoo.com
Torrero
Carmen
C
Regalado
Mirelta
M
Salas
Manuel
M
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D001835:Body Weight; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000473:pathology*; D009830:Olfactory Bulb / Q000473:pathology*; D009929:Organ Size; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology