Effects of Nutritional Status on Rat Brain Maturation as Measured by Lipid Composition

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Abstract
Alteration of the rate of growth of suckling rats produces changes in the concentrations of several brain lipid components (galactolipid, cholesterol, plasmalogens) and chloroform-methanol extractable protein (proteolipid protein). The results suggest that the rates of lipid accumulation in suckling rats are related to the body and brain growth. A reduced rate of growth causes a delay in the accumulation of lipids with the concentrations of the various lipids being maintained proportional to younger, faster growing rats. After a recovery period, depressions in levels of lipid components may exist, depending on the final body weights attained. Greater depressions in the concentration of myelin-related lipids are found in rats of smaller body weight suggesting that a deficit in myelin still exists and that the accumulation of lipids is related to the previous overall rate of maturation and development.
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