Abstract
It has been demonstrated that the most vulnerable period for the central nervous system is that of the ‘brain growth spurt’. In man, this process occurs mainly during the first 24 months after birth. Within this period the brain can be affected by different noxas, among them, protein and calorie malnutrition (PCM). In this work we have studied the dendritic basilar arborization reached by pyramidal cells of the Vth cortical layer of the motor cortex of mild, moderate and severe PCM infants and in well-nourished, using the Golgi-Cox method and morphometry. The merasmic children(mild, moderate and severe) showed a significant redution of the basal dendritic arborization; severe PCM being the most affected of all. It is postulated that PCM during the first months of life induces a reduced branching pattern of the basal dendrites, that could be one of the underlying causes of an abnormal cerebral function.
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Cordeiro, M., Trejo, M., Garcla, E. et al. 7. DENDRITIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEOCORTEX OF EARLY MALNOURISHED INFANTS. Pediatr Res 23, 648 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198806000-00030
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198806000-00030