Ontogenetic alterations of the cerebral cortex in rat caused by a diet containing a lipid fraction extracted from yeast (Candida lipolytica) grown on N-alkanes.

Abstract

Several ontogenetic aspects of the cerebral cortex were studied in rats whose mothers were fed on a diet, the lipid fraction of which was extracted from yeast (Candida lipolytica) grown on N-alkanes, during part of pregnancy and throughout lactation. Measures of the heights of some cortical regions and specific layers, the maturation of mean cell volumes and of the cell/gray coefficient, especially in layers I, IV and VI, show that the diet affects cerebral cortex ontogeny. These effects on brain ontogeny and on intrinsic and extrinsic neuron connections may explain the electrophysiological and behavioural alterations observed in previous studies.