Elsevier

Brain Research

Volume 221, Issue 2, 28 September 1981, Pages 243-255
Brain Research

The effects of protein deprivation on the nucleus raphe dorsalis: A morphometric golgi study in rats of three age groups

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(81)90775-7Get rights and content

Abstract

In a previous study we identified 3 cell types in the nucleus raphe dorsalis (NRD): fusiform, multipolar and ovoid. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of an 8% casein diet on these 3 cell types using quantitative techniques on rapid Golgi-impregnated neurons from rats of 3 different ages: 30, 90 and 220 days. Major and minor axes of the cell body and dendritic diameter were unaffected and primary dendritic linear extent was only slightly affected by the diet. All 3 cell types in control rats showed an increase in synaptic spines on both primary and secondary dendrites between 30 and 90 days followed by a decrease for all 3 of the cell types at 220 days. Protein-deprived rats failed to show these age-related changes. Other parameters of comparison showed clear differences between the 3 cell types. These differences could be readily seen when total synaptic spine input to the primary and secondary dendrites was calculated from the data on dendritic number, linear extent and spine density. When viewed in this way the fusiform and ovoid cells show either little change or a decreased synaptic input at all ages, while the presumed serotonergic multipolar cells showed an increase. This is in agreement with neurochemical studies in these rats showing increased levels of this biogenic amine in protein malnourished rats.

Reference (41)

Cited by (38)

  • The long-term effect of maternal dietary protein restriction on 5-HT<inf>1A</inf> receptor function and behavioral responses to stress in adulthood

    2018, Behavioural Brain Research
    Citation Excerpt :

    Our data do suggest that there are sex differences related to hippocampal 5-HT and 5-HIAA content in weanling offspring, independent of maternal diet. Greater maternal dietary protein restriction (6% calories from protein) before and during pregnancy causes wide-spread alterations in the central serotonergic system, including diminished arborization of serotonin neurons of the dorsal raphe [46], reduced serotonergic fiber density in the hippocampus of adult rat offspring [47], decreased hippocampal 5-HT release in response to median raphe stimulation [48]. The region-specific and sex-specific deficit in hippocampal 5-HT1A receptor function observed in weanling female offspring of dams fed the low protein diet during pregnancy persisted into adulthood.

  • Ontogeny and regulation of the serotonin transporter: Providing insights into human disorders

    2011, Pharmacology and Therapeutics
    Citation Excerpt :

    Prenatal malnourishment impinges heavily on the serotonergic system in brain (Resnick & Morgane, 1984; Blatt et al., 1994; Mokler et al., 1999, 2003). These results include diminished growth and arborization of 5-HT neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) (Díaz-Cintra et al., 1981; Blatt et al., 1994; Cintra et al., 1997a, 1997b) and decreased 5-HT nerve terminals in hippocampus as indexed by reduced 5-HT1A receptor expression (Blatt et al., 1994). SERT expression is, not surprisingly, affected by nutritional status during fetal and early postnatal development.

  • Stress-induced changes in extracellular dopamine and serotonin in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus of prenatally malnourished rats

    2007, Brain Research
    Citation Excerpt :

    Protein malnutrition has been shown to alter brain development in a number of ways. A clear and continuous finding in prenatally malnourished animals has been the alterations in the serotonergic systems of the brain (Blatt et al., 1994; Díaz-Cintra et al., 1981; Galler et al., 1996; Miller et al., 1977; Mokler et al., 1999, 2003; Morgane et al., 2002, 2003; Resnick and Morgane, 1984). Neuroanatomical findings by our group have shown diminished growth and arborization of serotonin neurons of the dorsal raphé nucleus (Blatt et al., 1994; Cintra et al., 1997; Díaz-Cintra et al., 1981).

View all citing articles on Scopus
*

S. Di´az-Cintra and L. Cintra on leave from Depto. de Fisiologi´a, Instituto de Investigaciones Biome´dicas, UNAM, Universidad Nacional Auto´noma de Me´xico, Ciudad Universitaria, Me´xico, 20, D.F.

View full text