Zamenhof S, Ahmad G, Guthrie D
Biol Neonate. 1979;35(5-6):273-8. doi: 10.1159/000241186.
Correlations between neonatal body weight, and body weight and several brain parameters at 30 days of age were studied in normal rats. At 30 days ('adolescence') cortex has already reached its final thickness and the rat exhibits long-term memory. Brain parameters included cerebral weight, DNA, protein and cholesterol contents and densities, as well as cortical and cerebral dimensions (cerebral sections). As expected, most of these parameters in 30-day-old animals were significantly correlated with each other. Unexpectedly, neonatal body weight was also significantly correlated with cholesterol content and density at 30 days, as well as with cortical and cerebral dimensions at 30 days. Thus, statistically, neonatal body weight already predetermines the extent of neuronal (cerebral) development at adolescence (30 days). This finding also makes it possible to make at birth statistical predictions about future brain development without having to sacrifice neonatal animals.
在正常大鼠中研究了新生大鼠体重与30日龄时体重及几个脑参数之间的相关性。在30日龄（“青春期”）时，皮质已达到其最终厚度，大鼠表现出长期记忆。脑参数包括脑重量、DNA、蛋白质和胆固醇含量及密度，以及皮质和脑尺寸（脑切片）。正如预期的那样，30日龄动物的这些参数大多彼此显著相关。出乎意料的是，新生大鼠体重也与30日龄时的胆固醇含量和密度以及30日龄时的皮质和脑尺寸显著相关。因此，从统计学上讲，新生大鼠体重已经预先决定了青春期（30日龄）时神经元（脑）发育的程度。这一发现也使得在出生时就能对未来脑发育进行统计学预测，而无需牺牲新生动物。
