Iron deficiency during early development in the rat: Behavioral and physiological consequences

Abstract

An iron deficient diet regimen from birth through 28 to 30 days of age produced animals with decreases levels of brain non-heme iron as well as decreased brain weight and hematocrit. Weight gain was also somewhat slower. In contrast, brain levels of cytochrome c were not reduced. During subsequent testing iron deficient animals were less responsive than controls in a mildly aversive novel situation (the open field), and ambulated less in an exploratory task (the hole-board). Iron deficient males also exhibited longer response latencies when first exposed to the passive avoidance platform, but following shock, iron deficient animals of both sexes exhibited longer reentry latencies. Measurement of plasma levels of corticosterone indicated that although iron deficient animals had elevated basal levels of corticoids, they exhibited a smaller stress increment than controls when exposed to the combined stress of ether and cardiac puncture. Data from the three behavioral tasks taken together with the pituitary-adrenal response to ether and cardiac puncture suggest that iron deficiency may reduce an animal's general responsiveness to environmental stimuli.