Brain lesions, obesity, and other disturbances in mice treated with monosodium glutamate.

In newborn mice subcutaneous injectionis of monosodium glutamate induced acute neuronal necrosis in several regions of developing brain including the hypothanamus. As adults, treated animals showed stunted skeletal development, marked obesity, and female sterility. Pathological changes were also found in several organs associated with endocrine function. Studies of food consumption failed to demonstrate hyperphagia to explain the obesity. It is postulated that the aduls syndrome represents a multifacted nueroendocrine disturbance arising from the disruption of developing nueral centers concered in the mediation of endocrine function.