Perinatal protein malnutrition-induced anhedonia is associated to a reduced hippocampal dendritic spine density and BDNF levels in the adult offspring.

GUTIERREZ M.C.; PERONDI M.C.; COMAS-MUTIS R.; CUADRA G.R.; CALFA G.D.; VALDOMERO A.

Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba.

Congreso; XXXIV Reunión Anual de SAN (Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias); 2019

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias.

Growing evidence indicates that depression is closely related to neuronal morphological alterations in specific brain areas. In addition, brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a key role in the structural plasticity induced by such disorder. In order to investigate neurobiological substrates linked with early protein undernutrition-facilitated depressive-like behaviours, we studied the impact of nutritional insult on the dendritic spine density at CA1 hippocampal neurons and BDNF levels in this brain area. Thus, adult animals submitted to a perinatal protein deprivation schedule (D-rats) and well-nourished animals (C-rats) were exposed to the sucrose preference test, a paradigm usually employed to evaluate anhedonia. After the test, different groups of C- and D-rats were perfused for dendritic spine analysis or sacrificed for BDNF levels quantification. According to previous results, D-rats showed a significant reduction of sucrose preference compared to C-rats. Furthermore, D-animals elicited a lower density of total dendritic spines, particularly mature ones, which was correlated with decreased levels of BDNF in the hippocampus. These results suggest that morphological and molecular alterations in the hippocampus of malnourished animals may contribute to a lower ability to cope with appetitive stimuli.