Effects of undernutrition on nucleic acid synthesis in neuronal and glial cells from different regions of developing rat brain.

Rats were undernourished by being given half their normal diet from the 10th day of pregnancy, 10-, 15- and 30-day-old rats were studied. Incorporation of labelled precursors into brain DNA and RNA was carried out in vitro with slices from cerebral cortex, brain stem and cerebellum. Neuronal and glial cells were subsequently isolated and analyzed for specific radioactivity. The proliferation and differentiation of all brain cells were affected by undernutrition. Glial cells in particular and the small neuronal cells appeared most vulnerable probably because of their intense postnatal development.