Maternal thiamine restriction during lactation induces cognitive impairments and changes in glutamate and GABA concentrations in brain of rat offspring.
Maternal thiamine deficiency causes changes in cellular energy metabolism that can interfere with offspring brain development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of thiamine restriction, during lactation, on offspring neurochemistry and cognitive parameters. Male young (31 days old) and adult (75 days old) rats, from control and restricted mothers, were submitted to spatial learning and memory assessment. GABAergic and glutamatergic parameters were measured in thalamus, prefrontal cortex and hippocampus by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The young animals were assessed immediately after thiamine restricted period; the adults, however, underwent a recovery period of 45 days. In young rats, thiamine restriction significantly hindered body weight gain and learning speed; however, it did not affect the brain weight, GABA and glutamate parameters in any of the brain assessed areas. In adult rats the body weight gain was significantly hampered by thiamine restriction, while brain weight and spatial task were not affected. Also, in adult offspring, maternal thiamine restriction significantly decreased the glutamate and GABA contents in the three assessed brain areas and thalamus, respectively. One possible explanation for these findings is that an adjustment of the inhibitory (GABAergic) and stimulatory (glutamatergic) neuromodulation systems occurs, in order to reverse the behavioral deficits detected in young rats but not in adult ones. The present data show, for the first time, that maternal thiamine restriction during lactation induces cognitive impairments and neurochemical changes in offspring, corroborating the important role of thiamine in brain development.
de Freitas-Silva
Danielle Marra
DM
Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Laboratório de Neurociência Comportamental e Molecular, LaNeC, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-010, Brazil.
Resende
Letícia de Souza
Lde S
Pereira
Silvia Rejane Castanheira
SR
Franco
Glaura Conceição
GC
Ribeiro
Angela Maria
AM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009753:Nutritive Value; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D013831:Thiamine / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
D018698:Glutamic Acid; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D013831:Thiamine