The effects of environmental diversity on well fed and previously undernourished rats: neuronal and glial cell measurements in the visual cortex (area 17).

Black and white hooded Lister rats were undernourished from the sixteenth day of gestation until 25 postnatal days of age. Around 85 days of age, 12 previously undernourished male rats were assigned to an 'enriched environmental condition' and 12 to an 'isolated environmental condition'. Well fed controls were similarly assigned. After 30 days in these environmental conditions all rats were killed by perfusion with 2% buffered glutaraldehyde. Body and forebrain weights and forebrain lengths and widths were determined for each animal. Cortical depths were measured from sections through the left occipital cortical region. Neuronal and glial cell nuclear diameters and numerical densities as well as neuronal perikaryal volumes were determined from sections through the right visual cortex. In both well fed and previously undernourished groups, the environmentally enriched rats had heavier forebrains and greater forebrain lengths compared to isolated rats. There were no significant differences between enriched and isolated rats in forebrain width or cortical depth measurements in either nutritional group. In both the well fed and previously undernourished groups there were no consistently significant differences between enriched and isolated rats in any of the measurements on neurons and glial cells. Two-way analysis of variance tests on combined data from both nutritional groups indicated significant effects of environment on forebrain weight, forebrain length and on cortical depth in one of the three sections studied (section 10). Nutrition had a significant effect on body weight, forebrain weight and forebrain width. The interaction between nutrition and environment was not statistically significant for any of the measurements carried out.