Selective decrease of S-100 in discrete anatomical areas of undernourished rat brain.

Rats undernourished from birth to 28 days of age demonstrated decreases in the concentration of the glial specific protein S-100. The concentration of S-100 in cerebral cortex was 77% and 74% that of well-fed controls at 21 and 28 days of age, respectively, while in the diencephalon the concentration of S-100 was 68% that of the controls at 28 days of age. In contrast, the concentration of 14-3-2, a neuronal protein, does not differ from controls in any area of brain at 21 days of age.