Abstract
SEVERE malnutrition, especially protein–calorie restriction, early in the life of rats1 and pigs2 can cause behavioural abnormalities which persist long after nutritional rehabilitation. The physiological or biochemical basis for these abnormalities is not known, although long term, irreversible alterations in total DNA3 and brain lipid content have been found to result from early malnutrition. A part of the brain which has been demonstrated to be involved in the control of behaviour is the central cholinergic mechanism5, and changes in brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Cholinesterase (ChE) have been reported to be correlated with behavioural changes in animals subjected to different environmental situations6. Furthermore, Sereni et al. found that undernutrition during the first 3 weeks of life decreased the activity of AChE in the brains of rats until they were 2 weeks old. We have now investigated the effects of early protein–calorie restriction on the activity of ChE in the brain.
Published Version
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