Effect of prenatal malnutrition on cortical reactivity of the rat parietal association area

Abstract

The influence of prenatal malnutrition on the reactivity of the rat parietal association cortex was studied by testing thresholds of direct cortical responses.

Chronic and acute prenatal starvation caused a significant increase of cortical chronaxie values, indicating a detrimental effect on the axodendritic synapses.

Since these synapses subserve cortico-cortical influxes underlying association processes, this detrimental effect could be correlated with behavioral and learning deficits found in malnutrition.