Supplementation with complex milk lipids during brain development promotes neuroplasticity
without altering myelination or vascular density
Sammanfattning
Background: Supplementation with complex milk lipids (CML) during postnatal brain
development has been shown to improve spatial reference learning in rats.
Objective: The current study examined histo-biological changes in the brain following CML
supplementation and their relationship to the observed improvements in memory.
Design: The study used the brain tissues from the rats (male Wistar, 80 days of age) after
supplementing with either CML or vehicle during postnatal day 10-80. Immunohistochemical staining
of synaptophysin, glutamate receptor-1, myelin basic protein, isolectin B-4, and glial fibrillary acidic
protein was performed. The average area and the density of the staining and the numbers of
astrocytes and capillaries were assessed and analysed.
Results: Compared with control rats, CML supplementation increased the average area of
synaptophysin staining and the number of GFAP astrocytes in the CA3 sub-region of the hippocampus
(p<0.01), but not in the CA4 sub-region. The supplementation also led to an increase in dopamine
output in the striatum that was related to nigral dopamine expression (p<0.05), but did not alter
glutamate receptors, myelination or vascular density.
Conclusion: CML supplementation may enhance neuroplasticity in the CA3 sub-regions of the
hippocampus. The brain regions-specific increase of astrocyte may indicate a supporting role for
GFAP in synaptic plasticity. CML supplementation did not associate with postnatal white matter
development or vascular remodelling.